Secrets Revealed
by Amantine
Summary: Chris has a tough time dealing with his family’s distrust, with his memories and with the constant threat against his brother. But what happens when a strange man from the future comes along? And what are his real intentions? Set after 'Prince Charmed'.
1. Pushing away the pain

**Not my first FanFiction, but certainly the first of 'Charmed'. I'm going to give my best shot at this and I must warn you that English is not my mother tongue so mistakes will be made.**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Charmed. At least that's what the therapist says…

**Summary: **Season six. Chris has a tough time dealing with his family's distrust, with his memories and with the constant threat against his brother. But what happens when a strange man from the future comes along? And what are his real intentions? Set after Chris-Crossed and Prince Charming.

* * *

**Secrets revealed **

**By Amantine**

**Chapter 1: **_Pushing away the pain_

Christopher Halliwell, son of a Charmed One and an Elder stood on top of the Golden Gate Bridge taking in the amazing sunset before his eyes. Orange and red light danced on his young face as the sun began its dive into the horizon, his eyes coming alive in the fiery hues. Still, in spite of the scenery before him, the young Witchlighter was lost in his own dark world. Painful memories invaded his mind in flashes, starting with his father's absence and ending with Wyatt's fall into darkness. Chris winced at the recollection and let out a long shaky breath. Even though his brother had turned completely seven years ago Chris still felt a strong bond with him to which he held on to like a security blanket. Wyatt was, after all, a strong father figure for him ever since he realized that Leo would never take the time to get to know his second son.

Leo would come and go as the world needed him to, not as his family wished. That almost always left a sad Chris behind who fought back the pain and the disappointment of being left behind yet again. It was never like that with Wyatt though.

Wyatt, nomather how tired or caught up he would be, would stop dead in his tracks to make Chris his number one priority.

Another reason for the strong still lingering bond was the little detail of Wyatt being the only family Chris had left.

Chris closed his eyes and sighed yet again. Sometimes it was just so hard to invoke his past. Memories brought back pain; pain brought back suppressed anger and anger led to emotional exhaustion in Chris's case. And he couldn't afford exhaustion right now. Not while the threat directed towards Wyatt was still out there somewhere.

So Chris did the only thing left for him to do: he pushed the pain someplace in the back of his mind and hoped for the best. He was well aware that the bottle was almost spilling and that the way he was currently leading his life would make him burst sooner rather than later, but he couldn't just deal with things now. He didn't have the strength to face his own emotions just yet.

'_Maybe in another seven years'_, he mused, a pained smirk crossing his lips.

With that simple thought Chris allowed himself to enjoy a couple of moments of peace and quiet, away from the daily demon vanquishes, away from his family and away from the future fate of the world which loomed above his head.

Chris breathed in the scent of the cool breeze which ruffled his dark hair, making it even messier than usual. A bemused smirk crossed his lips as he pushed back a strand of his rebellious hair, the words of his mother echoing in his head: '_Christopher, if you don't get your hair cut you might as well kiss your powers goodbye until you do!'_

Yes, that's what she would have said if she ever took in his appearance. But right now, Chris was too busy trying to keep the world from literally going to hell to care about the sheer detail of his overgrown locks.

And there he was again: his mind overflowing with memories and images of his brothers' turning. Sighing in disappointment Chris tried to block out his own dark thoughts.

'_Can't I at least once have a moments' peace without the future hanging over my head? One moment… That's all I ask for'_, he thought looking up to the darkening sky.

A sudden gust of biting wind blew over him, cutting through his jacket and sending shivers down his spine. Pulling up his zipper and thrusting his hands in his pockets Chris continued to watch the darkness crawl over the city which curiously seemed to come alive.

A distant voice made its way in the back of his head: _'Chris!_'

"Not now!" he silently complained to himself for lack of a better listener.

'_Chris!'_… There it was again. Piper was calling him and it seemed pretty urgent.

Letting out a sigh of annoyance mixed with a pinch of worry Christopher dematerialized into a flurry of sparkling turquoise orbs, rematerializing seconds after in the Manor's attic where he was greeted by a most unusual scene.

Piper was standing before a young man who currently resided in a crystal cage, a stern look upon her face as she eyed the stranger from head to toe. Leo, who was calmly sitting on the old sofa, was currently watching them all with interest as Paige and Phoebe were nowhere to be seen. Chris took in the scene and frowned as he saw absolutely no purpose to him being needed there.

"Piper, what's going on?" he asked warily, seeing as his mother was on the verge of a temper tantrum.

The Charmed One merely pointed at the unfamiliar figure and resumed pacing around the attic, her eyes blazing with fury. Furrowing his brow in confusion Chris took a couple of steps towards the fuming woman and took a better look at their visitor.

The man was about two years older than Chris himself, with broad shoulders and a muscular structure. He had short dirty brown hair and possessed a pair of blazing black eyes, yet his expressionless face seemed to be used to hide away any emotions and thoughts which came across him. He had the bleak aspect of one who's been through hell and something in Chris's head just screamed 'familiarity' towards the stranger. However the young Halliwell couldn't pin-point the exact location where he had encountered the man.

"He came through the attic wall, Chris", Leo explained gently. "Pretty much the same way you returned a couple of months ago from your trip to the future".

That moment something inside Chris's mind clicked and the young man turned to look once more at the caged stranger.

* * *

That's it for now. Please review and tell me what you think. Should I go on? Or should I simply forget about it? 


	2. Maurice and Witchlighters

**Not my first FanFiction, but certainly the first of 'Charmed'. I'm going to give my best shot at this and I must warn you that English is not my mother tongue so mistakes will be made.**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Charmed. At least that's what the therapist says…

**Summary: **Season six. Chris has a tough time dealing with his family's distrust, with his memories and with the constant threat against his brother. But what happens when a stranger from the future comes along? And what are his real intentions? Set after 'Chris-Crossed' and 'Prince Charmed'.

**Note:** Thank you for all your reviews! They mean a lot to me.

Merry Christmas to you all!

**Warning:** I won't update unless I receive at least 7 reviews.

* * *

**Secrets revealed **

**By Amantine**

_Last time…_

"_He came through the attic wall, Chris", Leo explained gently. "Pretty much the same way you returned a couple of months ago from your trip to the future"._

_That moment something inside Chris's mind clicked and the young man turned to look once more at the caged stranger._

* * *

**Chapter 2:** _Maurice and Witchlighters_

"You're one of the Resistance members, aren't you?" Chris asked, amazement streaking through his voice.

The stranger looked at the young Witchlighter with genuine interest, surprise written all over his face. He looked at Chris as if he had grown a couple of extra limbs and another head to go with them making the young man falter under his curious gaze.

"You're alive?" he asked instead of answering the question.

"Hey, I'm the one outside the crystal cage, I ask the questions. Now tell me what I want to know", Chris snapped, finding his temper, eyes flashing dangerously with anger and annoyance, both battling for dominance.

The stranger sighed and sat on the wooden floor, his eyes never leaving Chris's. "Yes, I am from the future and yes, from the Resistance'. Satisfied?" he responded in a slightly petulant tone.

"Not nearly enough", Piper spoke suddenly, stopping from her pacing marathon which she practiced on the attic floor, and turning an extremely irate look upon the time-traveler.

The prisoner turned his gaze upon the currently only woman in the room, a spark of recognition lighting his eyes, but otherwise seeming unmoved by her presence. He merely nodded his head, signaling her to continue.

"Why are you here? I mean, don't get me wrong, but with Chris already here why would the Elders send another person?" she asked, distrust marking her words.

"Everybody believed Chris to be dead. When he came back along with that traitorous Phoenix we were told he was killed by Lord Wyatt and, therefore, somebody was needed to travel back in time and finish what he'd started. I was chosen because I was the only witch alive with active powers".

There was a moment of still silence in the attic while everybody tried to process the information. Chris was shocked to hear that all thought he was dead while Piper and Leo tried hard to comprehend the term of 'Lord Wyatt'. In a way, it confirmed their fear that Chris had spoken the truth about their beloved's turning… And the realization crushed them like a ton of bricks.

Chris was the first to break the silence. "How did you manage to get here in the first place? I ripped the spell out of the book right before I came back here", he inquired not even trying to hide the suspicion from his voice.

'_Dad should be proud. I'm acting just like him with the Valkryies' pendant'_, Chris thought grimly effectively suppressing a snort.

"The spell in the Book of Shadows would've been of no use to me even if it was still there", the man spoke in a callous demeanor, snapping Christopher out of his reverie. "I can't touch it because of my heritage. My grandfather was a demon and some of the genes have been passed down to me, even though I've never manifested any demonic abilities", he explained, his eyes remaining cold as he did so.

Chris frowned as Piper gasped, Leo seemingly remaining the only one calm in the room.

"What exactly are you supposed to do here?" the Elder asked in a leveled voice, no hint of impatience in it.

"I was sent to prevent a great evil to reach your son", the stranger told as his eyes traveled from one Halliwell to the other. "Or kill him if it came to it", he added as an afterthought.

That last admission was enough to fuel Piper's mercurial temper as she tried to blow up the man, only to find her powers deflected into a vase by an invisible force. Her anger rising, she turned towards her Whitelighter and flicked her wrists, sending the half-angel into the other part of the room in a shower of brilliant orbs.

"CHRIS!" the stranger screamed horrified just as the young man reformed, holding a shaking hand over a large bleeding gash which covered his shoulder.

Momentarily forgetting about her anger Piper rushed to her future son's side, looking horror-stricken at the result of her actions. Leo was by Chris's side in a flash, his hands emanating the usual golden glow over the severe wound which healed in a matter of seconds.

"Oww!" he said with serious understatement as he rubbed his shoulder, grateful to see he was in one piece once more.

"How did this happen?" Piper yelled flipping out as she helped the young Halliwell up.

"He's only half Whitelighter you moron! You could have killed him!" the time-traveler yelled from inside the cage, panic written all over his face.

Piper flashed him a dangerous glare as she checked once more to see if the injury was completely healed.

"You okay?" Leo asked the Witchlighter, a pinch of concern thrown in his voice.

"Peachy", Chris replied, his tone dripping with sarcasm as he shot his father a death-glare.

"You know, Chris, 'thank you' would be nice once in a while", the Charmed One spoke as she once more diverted her gaze upon the current resident of the crystal cage who again regained his cold demeanor.

"You are not going anywhere near my son. Is that clear?" Piper threatened in a dangerous tone.

"It won't come to that", Chris spoke in a firm tone, determination written all over his face, eyes blazing as if daring to be argued with.

Piper and Leo both regarded him, taken aback by the way their Whitelighter spoke, yet decided against asking him any questions. They still had more pressing matters at hand… Such as the stranger who annoyingly kept looking at them, a hint of amusement streaking through his expression.

"We'll let you out, but if you so much as lay a hand on my son's head, I'll blow you to pieces", Piper decided, her tone menacing as she spoke.

Chris sighed and moved the crystals away with one lazy move of his hand. The time-traveler nodded acknowledging the gesture and stretched a hand towards Piper.

"Maurice", he introduced himself.

Piper awkwardly shook his hand and watched the man with interest as he moved to Leo and finally to Chris. "Friends call me M.J.", he added after he shook everybody's hand.

M.J.'s eyes locked with Chris's once more and the Witchlighter felt a persistent sense of familiarity, as if there was more to this M.J. that met the eye. Blaming it on paranoia Chris buried the feeling in the back of his mind where it could feel really crowded in between the constant pain and the suppressed anger.

"So, tell me, M.J., what are your powers?" Chris enquired, trying his best not to start asking questions about the future.

"I only have conjuring, but it works well enough", the man admitted looking away.

"C'mon. You'll need a place to stay. You'll share a room with Chris in the back of P3. You can conjure yourself a bed there…"

**TBC…**


	3. Nights at P3

**Not my first FanFiction, but certainly the first of 'Charmed'. I'm going to give my best shot at this and I must warn you that English is not my mother tongue so mistakes will be made.**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Charmed. At least that's what the therapist says…

**Summary: **Season six. Chris has a tough time dealing with his family's distrust, with his memories and with the constant threat against his brother. But what happens when a stranger from the future comes along? And what are his real intentions? Set after 'Chris-Crossed' and 'Prince Charmed'.

**Note:** Thank you for all your reviews! They mean a lot to me.

**Warning:** I won't update unless I receive at least **9** reviews.

**Secrets revealed **

**By Amantine**

* * *

_Last time…_

"So, tell me, M.J., what are your powers?" Chris enquired, trying his best not to start asking questions about the future.

"I only have conjuring, but it works well enough", the man admitted looking away.

"C'mon. You'll need a place to stay. You'll share a room with Chris in the back of P3. You can conjure yourself a bed there…"

* * *

**Chapter 3:** _Nights at P3_

The loud music and the constant chatter coming from P3 made the simple task of sleeping next to impossible _and_, as if it wasn't enough, the continuous ruffle of old parchments and pages of ancient tomes seemed to blend into the background, irritating M.J. to no end.

The young man turned around for the zillionth time that night and furiously punched his pillow as if that would solve his problems.

"May as well get used to it", came Chris's tired voice from the floor where he currently sat cross-legged, looking through about a dozen papers at the same time, occasionally stopping to write down information on a sheet of yellow, crumpled paper.

M.J. turned his gaze on the young man and took in his appearance. He seemed to have lost weight due to his trip to the past and he looked simply exhausted. Nothing more than sheer determination seemed to keep him going and M.J. couldn't help but feel guilty because of that.

'_Now where did_ that _come from?_' he asked himself as he continued watching the Witchlighter for a few more moments. "Have you lived here ever since you came from the future?" he enquired. _'Might as well make a conversation'_, he grimly added.

"Yes", came the short and absent reply as Chris continued to search through the scattered sheets.

"And when do you sleep? I mean, with this entire racket… How much do you sleep anyway?" M.J. asked, his gaze never leaving the young Halliwell which, conveniently enough, choose to ignore the sudden attention.

Chris spared him a glance, smirking amused as he did so and quickly resumed his research. "For someone who's stayed in the Resistance headquarters, you sure are picky. I wonder what you did then… Learn to appreciate the simple things, M.J.. What you have here is paradise. And between the constant moaning and suffering, I, by far, prefer this noise. At least these are cool beats", he softly spoke. "As for sleeping, M.J., I trust you realize that this mission requires your everything. You won't get more than three, maybe four hours of sleep on a good night".

M.J. starred at the twenty-two year old, his usual cold mask slipping away. He regarded the Halliwell in awe and something which very much resembled concern. But the façade was quickly set back in its place and the emotionless M.J. took over once more.

There was a long pause between the two in which each was lost in their own dark world, but while one tried to analyze every detail, the other struggled to push back every aspect of that universe.

"Have you ever thought about killing Wyatt? I mean now, while he's still an infant", M.J. suddenly asked.

Chris's head shot up, his emerald-green eyes meeting M.J.'s coal-black ones. Christopher regarded his companion with calculating eyes for a couple of seconds, as if trying to determine the reason for this sudden question, while straining to decide what to include in his answer and what to leave out.

Sighing defeated the young man resumed his paper work. "I've tried to kill him countless times", he admitted without looking up, therefore failing to witness M.J.'s reaction.

The time-traveler visibly tensed, his eyes blazing with raw anger. He clenched his fists around the sheets and tried his best not to speak, afraid that he might draw attention.

"But you know what?" Chris continued and M.J.'s demeanor steadily changed from furious to increasingly curious. "I couldn't do it. I'll never be able to do it…"

"And why is that?"

Chris stopped his activity and offered a genuine smile as his gaze was diverted upon an unseen point on the floor, his mind clearly elsewhere. "He's my brother… My best friend… My protector. He took care of me when Dad couldn't. He took care of me after… I think 'can't do it' pretty much sums it up", Chris stated, his defensive walls slamming right back up along with his snippy, sarcastic, neurotic character.

As the Witchlighter resumed his work once more, Maurice took the opportunity to let what he found out sink in. So Chris did have feelings for his older brother. But what was he running away from? M.J. frowned as he thought back to when he came back from the future.

**///flashback///**

_Stepping through the blue triquerta-shaped portal M.J. found himself in the same attic he left behind, the only differences being the large amount of stuff the Charmed Ones never wanted to throw out, the famed Book of Shadows, which stood in its rightful place, and, of course, everything seemed cleaner and definitely brighter. _

"_Who the hell are you?" a voice which belonged to none other than the infamous Piper Halliwell asked._

_M.J. looked around the attic and his eyes finally settled upon the eldest Charmed One who stood in the doorway, her hands on her hips and wearing an extremely annoyed expression._

"_I'm here because of Chris", he calmly replied, making his way towards her._

"_Nuh-uh! You stay right there if you don't want to be blown up to Timbuktu!" she threatened, holding her hands in a defensive demeanor._

_M.J. stopped dead in his tracks, looking carefully at the witch's arms who was currently screaming for her husband. The Elder arrived shortly in a shower of turquoise orbs._

"_Piper, what's going on?" Leo asked. "Who's he?" he added as an afterthought, confusion playing in his voice._

"_He's looking for Chris. But that's not the point. Set a crystal cage, please", the Charmed One demanded._

_Stunned into submission, the Elder complied and placed five crystals around the stranger, five bars of electricity surrounding the time-traveler._

"_This really isn't necessary, you know…", M.J. began but decided against continuing the moment Piper shot him a pointed look._

"_I think we should call for Chris", Leo suggested taking a seat on the old sofa._

"_You mean summon his spirit?" M.J. inquired, looking at them both as if he were watching a tennis match, yet received no answer._

"_I don't want that…person anywhere near this house", Piper spoke sternly shooting sharp glance at her husband._

_M.J. furrowed his brow in confusion. Why would this woman, Chris's _mother_, talk about her own son like that?_

"_Piper, if we're going to find out what's going on here we may as well call him", Leo calmly spoke and Maurice could already see the witch faltering as she gave a thought to this suggestion. "Chris!" she called out, visibly getting annoyed with the lack of response._

**///end flashback///**

"You haven't told them who you really are, have you?" M.J. asked, realization finally hitting him, carefully studying Chris's reaction to his words.

The Witchlighter visibly tensed and stopped writing down what he figured was most important about the demon he was reading about. He took a deep breath and looked up to meet his companion's curious and demanding gaze.

"No", came the short reply. "And you're not to tell them, is that clear?"

M.J. was more than confused right now. "Why not?"

Chris sighed and began closing the books around him and rolling the parchments, obviously stalling in order to decide what was worth telling without to much complications occurring.

"I've done things I'm not proud of", Christopher finally decided to say as he stood up with the tomes and slowly started walking towards the desk where he gently placed them. "Besides, there's only so much you can tell without the future being changed too much".

Noticing how this was a difficult subject for the young Witchlighter M.J. decided not to push matters further and found himself contempt with just closing his eyes and blocking out the sounds coming from the lively P3.

'_Maybe I'll ask him more tomorrow'_, he thought, a smile crossing his lips as his senses finally began to numb, a sign that sleep was finally overcoming him.

**TBC...**


	4. Sleepless, tired and deceived?

**Not my first FanFiction, but certainly the first of 'Charmed'. I'm going to give my best shot at this and I must warn you that English is not my mother tongue so mistakes will be made.**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Charmed. At least that's what the therapist says…

**Summary: **Season six. Chris has a tough time dealing with his family's distrust, with his memories and with the constant threat against his brother. But what happens when a stranger from the future comes along? And what are his real intentions? Set after 'Chris-Crossed' and 'Prince Charmed'.

**Note:** Thank you for all your reviews! They mean a lot to me.

AJ, if you're reading this, know that you'll learn more about M.J. along the way.

**Warning:** I won't update unless I receive at least **10** reviews.

* * *

**Secrets revealed **

**By Amantine**

* * *

_Last time…_

"_I've done things I'm not proud of", Christopher finally decided to say as he stood up with the tomes and slowly started walking towards the desk where he gently placed them. "Besides, there's only so much you can tell without the future being changed too much"._

_Noticing how this was a difficult subject for the young Witchlighter M.J. decided not to push matters further and found himself contempt with just closing his eyes and blocking out the sounds coming from the lively P3._

'Maybe I'll ask him more tomorrow'_, he thought, a smile crossing his lips as his senses finally began to numb, a sign that sleep was finally overcoming him_.

* * *

**Chapter 4: **_Sleepless, tired and… deceived?_

Chris collapsed on the stuffy old couch in the backroom of his mother's club and let out an exhausted sigh the moment the whole damn place finally fell quiet… At 3.30 in the morning! He looked at M.J. for a split second and held his tongue to prevent himself from saying a spell to get payback for the fact that the young man managed sleep through the entire night, in spite of the music coming from the band, while _he_ had to work on getting leads to who turned Wyatt in his future.

'_Well he_ is _my brother. Might as well suffer the consequences…_' he reasoned with himself.

Taking a deep breath, Chris used his telekinesis to switch off the lamp and welcomed the darkness which now flooded the room. Within the minute the Witchlighter fell asleep, praying for a night without nightmares.

* * *

'_Chris_!' 

Chris stirred slightly in his sleep.

'_Chris! C'mon… We need you!_'

Christopher groaned and turned on his stomach, covering his head with his pillow as he did so, vainly attempting to block out the Charmed Ones' voices.

'_Chris!_'

The half-breed's eyes snapped open. He slowly crawled out from under the covers and drowsily glanced at the glowing numbers from the digital clock which currently resided on the desk. Unable to read the figures properly, Chris rubbed his eyes trying to clear the fog which blinded him and groaned in frustration as he finally managed to read the hour. 4.47 a.m.. Unbelievable!

'_CHRIS!_'

And there it was again… Phoebe's nagging voice in the back of his mind, demanding his presence at the manor -in the middle of the night no less- was not what he wished for!

Looking longingly at M.J.'s sleeping form for a moment, Chris sighed and dematerialized only to end up seconds later in the manor's attic, where the whole household was currently buzzing around the Book of Shadows or the scrying map.

"What's going on?" he inquired after he fully reformed, stiffening a yawn as he did so, earning himself a pointed look from a very pissed off Piper.

"What's going on", she answered sharply, "is that a couple of demons attacked".

Suddenly wide awake and very alert, Chris scanned the room and it's occupants for any possible damage. "Is everyone okay? Did anybody get hurt?" he asked, his voice full of concern.

"Yeah, we're fine. Piper blew one demon and the other shimmered out before we could vanquish it. We got off with a few bruises and scratches, but Leo healed them", Paige filled in with a grumpy voice.

"Anyway, we need you to take Wyatt for a couple of hours, while we summon and vanquish the demon", Piper spoke in a sweet don't-you-dare-say-anything-against-it-or-I'll-blow-you-to-China tone.

The Witchlighter let out a nervous laugh and looked at the eldest Charmed One as if she had grown an extra head. "You want me to what?"

"I want _you_ to take Wyatt to P3 and look after him", Piper said once more through gritted teeth.

Unfortunately, Chris had inherited his mother's temper and he was tired and cranky and he did not care about being blown to smithereens at the moment, all of the above being the main reasons for why he decided to pick a fight with Piper.

"I am not your babysitter! Get someone else to do it for you!" he lashed out, widely gesturing with his arms, uselessly trying to emphasize his nonexistent point in Piper's view.

"Well, Chris, I would get somebody else if it wasn't 5 o'clock in the morning and the demon wasn't possibly after my son. Besides, you're here to protect him, so protect him!" Piper rigidly spoke, eyeing her Whitelighter from head to toe, making the young man squirm slightly under her piercing gaze.

"Get Leo to do it. Wyatt's his kid too", Chris suggested, his voice sounding harsher than he'd intended.

"I can't… I have to stay here and help the sisters in case the demon attacks again", the Elder explained.

"Hey, I have an idea. Why don't I stay and help? I'm part witch, I can cast spells or scry or even make potions…", Chris began but Piper shortly cut him off.

"You can't heal", she stated simply and the Witchlighter froze in mid-sentence, his mouth remaining agape, a strange combination of shock and anger crossing his face.

"This is ridiculous!" he stated after he recovered.

"Well at least orb him to M.J. and ask him to baby-sit Wyatt if you won't do it", Phoebe spoke for the first time since he had orbed into the manor.

"What? No way! I'm not leaving him alone in the same room with the kid!" Christopher vehemently protested, outraged at the mere thought.

"And why not? He's here to protect Wyatt too", Paige argued.

"Maybe, but I don't trust him enough to let him around Wyatt unsupervised", Chris explained in an are-you-kidding-me tone and Leo arched an eyebrow regarding his future son with a mixture of amusement and curiosity.

"Well someone has to take care of him…", Phoebe pointed out.

Chris looked with pleading eyes from one member of his family to the other and wasn't all surprised to see that none took pity on him.

"Alright, fine!" he finally caved in, sighing as he did so.

"Good!" Piper chirped and got the toddler's stuff from the playpen along with Wyatt himself and placed them in Chris's rather unwelcoming arms. "Now remember he's had his diaper changed and he'll be a little cranky 'cause he's had his sleep interrupted. You have some of his clothes in the bag in case he gets cold and…".

"Whoa, whoa, Piper, slow down! It's not like I'm going to have to baby-sit him for a long time. He's coming back here at 8.00 o'clock sharp and you'd better have that demon vanquished by then", Chris interrupted before orbing out, Wyatt in tow.

After the Charmed Ones were certain that Chris was out of hearing range, Phoebe burst into a fit of laughter.

"The M.J. bait worked like a charm. No pun intended", she managed to say between giggles.

"You did it on purpose?" Paige inquired, still more than half asleep.

"Of course!" Phoebe said in a proud demeanor. "Did you doubt me?"

"No. But I do think he's going to be pissed when he finds out you played him", Piper spoke from the potions table where she was currently mixing some mandrake root in a cauldron.

"Do you think he's going to find out?" Phoebe asked with a nervous laugh.

Her sisters and ex-brother in law's looks told her the answer, making her slap her forehead in annoyance. "He's _so_ going to kill me…".

* * *

Christopher orbed into P3 and set Wyatt's bag on the floor, telekinetically switching on the lights as he did so, waking up a very cranky M.J. in the process. 

"What's going on?" he mumbled, shading his eyes from the bright light coming from the lamp.

"Nothing. Go back to bed", Chris whispered, bouncing Wyatt around, trying to make him close his eyes and fall asleep.

M.J. stood up on one side, supporting his weight on his right elbow as he did so, and took in the scene before him, only half awake. Suddenly realizing what was going on, his eyes widened in shock and he jumped off his bed, throwing the covers onto the floor as he did so.

"What's he doing here?" he asked in confusion, yet having the grace to keep his voice down seeing as the child's eyes were slowly closing.

"The sisters needed a baby-sitter so they could go after a demon and I literally got stuck with this bundle of joy", Chris explained in a not so friendly tone, the lack of sleep making him grouchy.

M.J. snorted and glanced at the watch. "It's 5 a.m.!" he complained, slightly raising his voice.

"Like I said, I got stuck with him", Chris snapped through gritted teeth, his eyes blazing with annoyance and anger.

M.J. rolled his eyes and waved a hand, a baby cot appearing in the middle of the room, complete with blanket and mattress.

'_Personal gain!_' Chris mouthed seeing as his little big brother finally fell asleep.

The conjurer merely shrugged and walked out of the room, leaving Chris alone to put the kid into his bed. Sighing tiredly after setting the child down, Chris knelt beside the crib and stretched his hand through the bars, running a hand through Wyatt's golden hair, a genuine smile crossing his lips as he thought about the weirdness of the situation. Normally it would have been the other way around, Wyatt watching over Chris as he slept and brushing away bangs of hair from his face.

"What ever happened to you, Wyatt?" Chris asked, his voice barely a whisper.

Knowing perfectly well that he wouldn't be receiving an answer that night, Chris stood up and silently left the room, leaving the door ajar so he could hear if anything happened to his brother.

Yawning and stretching his sore arm, Chris dragged himself towards the bar where M.J. was currently drinking a glass of orange juice. The Witchlighter plopped down on the nearest chair and eyed the drink suspiciously.

"Did you conjure that too?" he asked, placing his head on his arms as he spoke.

"Sure did", came the short and somehow amused reply.

Chris sighed, clearly not having the energy to go on and on and on about the consequences of magic, but doing it anyway. "Didn't you ever hear of 'personal gain'?"

"You seem to forget that we don't have that in the future…" M.J. stated, taking another sip from his drink.

Chris raised his head and looked his comrade in the eye, the familiar suppressed anger threatening to rise and overwhelm him once more.

"We're in the past! Magic _has_ consequences here. You need to learn how to respect that and fast because if you don't, you can risk becoming like Wyatt and I can't handle two power-hungry maniacs. You were sent here with a mission and you are expected to fulfill it without abusing your gifts", Chris chastised, his tone dangerously similar to Piper's when she was mad.

M.J. opened his mouth, attempting to shoot back a biting remark, but found himself closing it, unable to find any words. Chris just nodded satisfied and once more placed his head on his arms, closing his eyes, as he tried to rest a little.

"How much sleep did you get?" M.J. finally asked, aiming for an amiable conversation.

"'Bout an hour and a half", Chris answered truthfully, his voice soft and distant.

M.J. looked at the Whitelighter and couldn't help contain the amused chuckle which escaped his lips. He took one more swig from his glass and made it disappear with a wave of his hand, getting up from his chair as he did so.

"Chris…"

No answer.

"Christopher", he tried once more.

Again, no answer. Both amused and concerned M.J. noticed that the younger of the two had fallen asleep in the most uncomfortable position.

'_That's gonna smart when he gets up'_, he thought before letting out a loud sigh, shaking his head in disapproval.

With gentle moves he pulled the Witchlighter's shoulders back, leaning him against his arm carefully and placing Chris's head on his own shoulder. He swung his other arm beneath the Whitelighter's knees and prudently lifted him up, amazed to see how light the twenty-two year old was.

M.J. walked towards their room and squinted his eyes looking at the door, making it open without a squeak. Entering, he strode towards the couch and gently laid Chris on it, conjuring a blanket over him and brushing away a few stray locks from the Whitelighter's face, frowning as he felt the unusual heat radiating from his forehead.

Sighing, M.J. turned his attention towards the toddler who was intensely watching him with large, sky-blue eyes from his cot. He moved towards the toddler and looked at him, a nervous smile playing on his lips. '_This is so weird'_, he thought as he stretched his arm, wanting to caress the child's blonde locks, but was surprised to see Wyatt dissipate in a flurry of bright jingling orbs, only to see him reappear seconds later on Chris's chest, his little hands gripping the blanket tightly as his eyes closed.

Smiling, M.J. grabbed the child's blanket and covered him with it before leaving the room with two large books through which Chris was looking the night before, closing the door behind him as he did so.

As soon as the door was closed, M.J. lifted his hand as if preparing to conjure something, but stopped halfway, Chris's words echoing through his head. '_Personal gain… Can't handle two power-hungry maniacs…'_. Smiling, he allowed his hand to fall along his side and he slowly sat on the cement floor, his legs crossed underneath him, with his back leaning against the wall for support.

He opened the first tome and began looking through it, yet not quite seeing the pages as he went. His mind was mostly on how drastically Chris had changed since he'd last seen him. What mostly surprised him was the fact that Christopher hadn't recognized him. Maybe the whole time travel thing confused him too much… M.J. didn't have an answer. What had happened to Chris was beyond him.

M.J. remembered how Chris was at the beginning, before and a while after Wyatt became Lord Wyatt for the Underworld. He had been happy, or as happy as one could get after holding his mother in his arms as she died. Chris had been contempt… Until he was kidnapped a while after. What had suddenly changed after that was something nobody understood, but it had something to do with Wyatt's crave for power, no doubt about that.

Chris, in seven years, had matured and changed beyond recognition. He was no longer reckless, but analyzed every detail of his plans. He helped form the Resistance and even led it for a couple of months before the word went out that he was… _is_ a Halliwell. He left the top position for another and left the base for three years before coming to their aid during one huge battle between the concepts of Good and Evil. M.J. remembered how he showed up and fought against his own flesh and blood, in spite of his own injuries, caused by two whole years in the Underworld, trapped by the Dlive demons. But what he wondered most was how in the world Chris allowed himself to get so messed up. There was no stronger bond that family for him and that was exactly what he went against.

**TBC…**


	5. Glamour

**Not my first FanFiction, but certainly the first of 'Charmed'. I'm going to give my best shot at this and I must warn you that English is not my mother tongue so mistakes will be made.**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Charmed. At least that's what the therapist says…

**Summary: **Season six. Chris has a tough time dealing with his family's distrust, with his memories and with the constant threat against his brother. But what happens when a stranger from the future comes along? And what are his real intentions? Set after 'Chris-Crossed' and 'Prince Charmed'.

**Note:** Thank you for all your reviews! They mean a lot to me.

Sorry for taking so long, but I had a very hard time trying to find my words for this chapter.

**Warning:** I won't update unless I receive at least **10** reviews.

* * *

**Secrets revealed **

**By Amantine**

* * *

_Last time…_

_Chris, in seven years, had matured and changed beyond recognition. He was no longer reckless, but analyzed every detail of his plans. He helped form the Resistance and even led it for a couple of months before the word went out that he was… is a Halliwell. He left the top position for another and left the base for three years before coming to their aid during one huge battle between the concepts of Good and Evil. M.J. remembered how he showed up and fought against his own flesh and blood, in spite of his own injuries, caused by two whole years in the Underworld, trapped by the Dlive demons. But what he wondered most was how in the world Chris allowed himself to get so messed up. There was no stronger bond that family for him and that was exactly what he went against. _

* * *

**Chapter 5: **_Glamour _

M.J. had lost track of time. He had no idea about how long he had stayed there, on the floor, looking through endless notes about demons who could possibly represent a threat for little Wyatt. He had to hand it to Chris… The kid took his mission seriously. Too seriously, come to think of it.

The sound of jingling orbs caught his attention, making him lift his head and look into the new-comers' eyes. Leo and Piper were looking at him, pure annoyance on the Charmed One's face.

"Where's my son?" she asked trying to keep herself calm. "Chris was supposed to bring him back at 8.00 o'clock sharp and it's 8.30 now. So where is Chris along with my son?"

M.J. chuckled at the woman's overprotective attitude and slowly stood up, wincing as his stiff joints protested against the movement. He lifted a finger to his mouth and signaled them both to be quiet as he slowly opened the door, revealing a sleeping Chris on the couch with his arm wrapped protectively around the toddler who was still long lost in dream land on his chest. Piper visibly relaxed at the sight and moved towards them to pick up her child, only to be stopped by M.J.

She shot him a curious look but only saw him conjure a camera and taking a picture of the two. "Pictorial evidence to tease Chris after he wakes up", he explained barely containing his laughter.

Piper nodded in understanding and chuckled before she walked towards the pair. When her hand was barely a few inches from Wyatt, Chris flinched and his eyes snapped open, his hand simultaneously reaching out and grabbing Piper's before she could touch the child. Surprised by the young man's reaction, the eldest sister locked her chocolate brown eyes with his emerald-green ones and he relaxed, allowing her to take the toddler away from him.

"It's okay. You can go back to sleep now. Thanks for watching him though", she softly spoke, careful not to wake up her son.

"What time is it?" Chris asked, his voice hoarse and slightly confused.

"It's 8.30".

Chris jumped up and ran a hand through his messy hair, looking around disorientated. His eyes slowly traveled from one member of his family to the other, his eyes finally stopping upon M.J., the only person he didn't really know in the room.

"You okay?" Leo asked, a hint of concern in his voice.

Chris merely nodded and lied back down on the sofa, placing a hand over his eyes and taking in a deep breath. Leo watched him for a split second before grabbing Piper's arm and orbing her and their child away, leaving only M.J. and Chris in the suddenly silent room.

M.J. regarded the half-witch and walked towards him, taking a seat on the sofa beside him. "You sure you're okay?".

Chris sighed and removed the hand, looking M.J. straight in the eye. The older of the two fidgeted under the gaze and was the first to break eye contact.

"Who are you?" Chris asked him a moment later and the conjurers' head snapped to look at his companion once more.

Christopher was simply looking at him with a blank mask over his face, somewhere underneath the surface battling his feelings and his suspicions.

"You already know who I am", M.J. decided to say, keeping his face emotionless as he did so.

Chris starred at him for a moment longer but said nothing more and nodded, accepting the reply, making M.J. inwardly sigh in relief.

"C'mon. Get dressed", M.J. ordered getting off the bed. "We're going to go grab a bite and after that we can look up more leads on who turned your brother" he cheerily said.

M.J. walked out of the room and took the two books from the floor, coming back in only to find Chris lounging on the sofa with his eyes closed. Sighing grumpily, the conjurer placed the tomes on the desk and walked over to Chris, who completely ignored him. Smirking, obviously satisfied with the thought that crossed his mind, the witch grabbed Chris's blanket and pulled it away along with the person residing the couch.

Christopher let out a surprised yelp and soon found himself sprawled onto the floor with a hysterically laughing M.J. nearby. Glaring at the witch, Chris awkwardly sat up, trying to disentangle himself from the sheets, which he somehow managed to pull down with him.

"What did you do that for?" the Witchlighter growled, successfully freeing himself from the bed sheets.

M.J. waited for a minute until his laughter subsided before answering the question. "I told you to get up and get dressed. Seeing as you wouldn't comply, I merely took matters into my own hands", he explained, still chuckling.

Chris starred at him for the better part of a minute, resembling a fish as he opened and closed his mouth repeatedly, effectively achieving another fit of laughter from M.J..

"Are you out of your mind?" he finally cried out incredulously.

Maurice only laughed harder and Chris let out a frustrated groan, acknowledging the fact that he couldn't get his companion to pay for his actions. Shaking his head in annoyance, Christopher walked towards his poor excuse of a wardrobe and pulled out a T-shirt, a green hoodie and a pair of faded jeans, walking out of the room with them.

The moment Chris left, M.J. walked towards the mirror which hung on the wall and closed his eyes as if in deep thought, only to open them a couple of seconds later, snapping his fingers as he did so. A swirl of white lights engulfed him only to leave behind a tall, blonde man with icy-blue eyes as they faded away.

Wyatt Halliwell, the overlord of the world and the eldest son of the eldest Charmed One, regarded himself in the mirror critically, surprised to see dark circles under his eyes. Frowning, he looked around the room and finally understood why Chris looked so exhausted all the time and why the sudden loss of weight. Chris was driving himself to an early grave with his little obsession with 'saving Wyatt'. '_I don't need saving_', he thought, annoyed to no end by his younger sibling's persistence.

Sighing, he turned to the desk where his brother had left his wallet and picked up in search of money. He opened it and, for a moment, was surprised to see an old picture of him and Chris, just before he had taken over the Underworld. Wyatt smiled fondly at the memory.

It was Christmas. Chris had turned 15 and Wyatt was almost 17 at the time. The picture was taken by their grandfather and legal guardian. It portrayed the two Halliwell brothers in front of the Christmas tree each opening their presents. He remembered Chris being so happy then, as if nothing had happened the year before. Wyatt felt his stomach turn to a knot. That was Chris's last happy Christmas in the manor. Wyatt didn't know in which dungeon Chris had spent the other ones. He never found out the place in which his brother had been kept.

The twice blessed closed the wallet furiously and placed it back on the desk. He felt like he had failed Chris. That was the main reason he had started his little quest for power in the upper world as well. Believing that somehow power held the key to finding Christopher, Wyatt had crossed the final line in order to achieve his goal. It was a mistake, that much he knew, but it was only meant to be a one time deal.

But, like most one-time deals, this quest for power grew into something more. It soon became a drug without which Wyatt felt vulnerable and to which he held onto like a security blanket, although it never helped him with finding his sibling. Chris simply popped up out of nowhere about five months after Wyatt proclaimed himself ruler and started a resistance against him and his regime.

Wyatt suddenly flinched and snapped his fingers, allowing himself to be enveloped by white lights and to become M.J. once more, just moments before the door snapped open and Chris walked through wearing clean clothes, although his hair was rather disheveled. Wyatt had to suppress a chuckle as he remembered his mother's threats at Christopher's way of keeping his locks.

"What are you snickering at?" Chris snapped, throwing the clothes he had worn the night before in a basket.

"Nothing. Just remembered something", the man said truthfully.

Chris mumbled something incoherently under his breath as he grabbed his sheets and began making his, well, couch. "Where are you planning on going?" he asked his roommate as he folded the blanket.

M.J. shrugged and sank onto the desk chair. "Anywhere where I can grab a bite. I'm starving. You've been here long enough to know the places, you tell me where we should go".

"Don't count on it. The only food I've seen in a long time was chips from the nearest market", Chris countered, his back still on M.J., thus missing the expression on his disguised brother's face.

Wyatt was watching him incredulously, amazed to see how well his younger sibling was holding on after so much time in the past with little sleep and only chips. '_Mom'd throw a fit if she ever heard about this'_, Wyatt mused.

"Okay, let's go", Chris suddenly spoke, interrupting Wyatt's line of thoughts.

M.J. stood up and followed the younger witch out of the room and soon out of the club. They stepped out into the bright sun and Wyatt let out a frustrated groan, squinting his eyes towards the sky. It was too sunny and too warm for his liking. His attention was caught by Christopher once more.

"Don't worry. You'll get used to this again", the young Witchlighter chuckled while looking down the street towards a café Phoebe used to go to… or will go to… UGH! Time travel was so confusing.

"If you got used to this then I guess I can too", Wyatt stated, looking around in order to adjust his eyes to the bright light.

He followed Chris in silence for a few minutes until they reached the café and settled at a remote table where nobody could overhear them talking about their problems. After they both ordered eggs and bacon along with a cup of coffee, they silently waited for the order to arrive before starting to talk about more private matters.

After eyeing his companion with a calculating gaze, Chris finally decided to break the ice and asked the first and most important question for him at the moment. "What's going on in the future?".

"It depends on what you want to know", M.J. replied.

Chris didn't speak immediately and M.J. thought he hadn't heard him.

"I want to know about Wyatt…" the Witchlighter softly spoke, his gaze diverted onto the passing cars and people.

Maurice wanted to ask for details on what the answer should hold, only that Chris beat him to it the moment he opened his mouth. "I want to know if he's safe. If anything happened to him… I want to know that the Resistance _didn't_ get to him", he spoke, stopping all activity and lifting emerald orbs to look at his black ones.

Wyatt frowned in confusion. Wasn't the Resistance formed to go after him in the first place? Hadn't Chris formed it to take his own flesh and blood down? This was getting confusing.

"He's safe. Nothing happened to him", Chris let out a relieved breath which he didn't know he was holding and resumed his breakfast. "But I don't understand what's the purpose of the Resistance if not to take him down…" he asked before he could stop himself.

Christopher chocked on his food and starred incredulously at the man before him, tears welling up in his eyes from the violent coughing fit.

"WHAT?" he managed to choke out between coughs, looking at M.J. as if he was a basket case.

Obviously taken aback by his brother's reaction, Wyatt tried to explain. "I mean that was the whole purpose of the Resistance. To find a way to kill your brother…"

"Bullshit", Chris snapped. "Who the hell told you that?"

Anger was surfacing in the young Witchlighter, eyes blazing with green fire as he tried to keep his emotions in check.

"Nobody, I just assumed…"

"Well you assumed wrong", Chris cut him off, locking his gaze with M.J.'s.

Wyatt watched his younger sibling sigh and rake his fingers through his dark hair in frustration.

"I'm sorry", he finally mumbled, looking away as he did so. "I didn't mean to snap. It's just that…" Chris trailed off with a sigh.

Wyatt looked at him with reluctant concern, but didn't press the matter. He simply settled to watch the Witchlighter with a mixture of interest and compassion. He seemed utterly lost and so exhausted that even the slightest blow could take him down, either it was physical or emotional.

"S'okay, Chris", he spoke in the kindest voice he could muster.

**TBC…**

* * *

So you know who M.J. is now. Many have already guessed and for that I'll give them a virtual cookie.

Anyway, back on track… Personally, I'm not really satisfied with the outcome, but I received my 10 reviews and I had to update in order to please the public. Please tell me what did you think about this chapter.


	6. Demons and potions

**Not my first FanFiction, but certainly the first of 'Charmed'. I'm going to give my best shot at this and I must warn you that English is not my mother tongue so mistakes will be made.**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Charmed. At least that's what the therapist says…

**Summary: **Season six. Chris has a tough time dealing with his family's distrust, with his memories and with the constant threat against his brother. But what happens when a stranger from the future comes along? And what are his real intentions? Set after 'Chris-Crossed' and 'Prince Charmed'.

**Note:** Thank you for all your reviews! They mean a lot to me.

**Warning:** I won't update unless I receive at least **10** reviews.

* * *

**Secrets revealed **

**By Amantine**

* * *

_Last time…_

_Wyatt looked at him with reluctant concern, but didn't press the matter. He simply settled to watch the Witchlighter with a mixture of interest and compassion. He seemed utterly lost and so exhausted that even the slightest blow could take him down, either it was physical or emotional._

"_S'okay, Chris", he spoke in the kindest voice he could muster_

* * *

**Chapter 6:** _Demons and potions_

"DUCK!" Chris yelled from behind a rock just as a fireball was hurled towards M.J..

The two of them were currently in the Underworld trying to take out an upper-level demon with nothing else than a couple of vials of potions blessed by the Charmed ones. Maurice threw himself to the ground as soon as he heard Chris's voice in the background. He felt the heat of the fireball scorch a bit of his hair and immediately jumped to his feet, throwing the potion at the black demon as he did so, a cocky smile playing on his lips as the demon simply stood there.

That cocky smile faded however, seeing as the vial broke and the demon remained unscratched, but beyond pissed off. The creature offered a satisfied devilish smirk and proceeded pacing towards M.J. who slowly backed up against the cave's wall. _'Oh shit! Damnit! If I could just expose my powers'_, he thought, wincing as his back finally met solid rock.

"Hey, ugly!" Christopher yelled from the other end of the cavern.

The demon stopped to glare at the younger witch and hissed, showing off his sharpened teeth in an intimidating way. Seeing this as an excellent opportunity, the 25 year old snuck away along the wall and hid behind a large boulder.

"M.J., how the hell did you manage to rope me into this?" Chris yelled, concern marking his words seeing as the vial he just threw had the same effect as his companion's.

M.J. peaked over the rock and watched as his brother was facing the brute, balancing on his feet, seeming ready to run either way in case a fireball headed his way. Chris didn't lose eye contact with the creature for a second. He concentrated all of his attention on the red eyes which were watching him greedily as if trying to anticipate the next move.

"Why didn't the potions work? They were blessed!" he asked as he rounded the demon cautiously.

M.J. glared at the young man. "How am I supposed to know?" he hollered just as another low-level shimmered in and threw an energy ball at him. He quickly conjured an athame and throwing it at the newcomer, effectively vanquishing him.

"Use your powers to conjure the damn book where you got this demon from", Chris screamed once more before dodging a fireball, rolling on the ground and standing up almost instantly, resuming the eye contact with the creature.

The man waved his hand and the book appeared on the ground. He knelt before it and fanatically began searching through the pages. "Ha! Found it!" he stated triumphantly.

"Congratulations! Now if you could find out why the bloody thing didn't blow up maybe we can advance you to kindergarten", Chris replied, sarcasm dripping from his every word.

"Shrewd, Chris. Very shrewd", he retort yet managing to focus on the words written in the book. "It needs a Power of Three spell", he finally announced, trying hard to ignore the sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach.

There was a loud bang and a pained roar and M.J. instantly jumped to his feet, eyes immediately seeking Chris's. '_Now I'm just pathetic'_, he chastised himself, disgusted by the fact that he actually felt concern for the traitorous brat.

He couldn't help but let out a relieved breath the moment he saw Chris running towards him for dear life as the enormous demon picked itself from the ground, already charging a fireball while his eyes watched the Witchlighter. Chris barely had time to jump behind the rock before the fireball whizzed above their heads.

"We need to get the sisters", he said, panting heavily.

"No", M.J. disagreed, making the Whitelighter eye him curiously. "The Power of Three is based on the sisters' bond, right?".

Chris nodded in agreement.

"You are the son of a Charmed One and the brother of the Twice Blessed. Now, Wyatt has powers far greater than the Power of Three. Couldn't you channel your brother's powers and say the spell yourself?" M.J. continued to explain. "It basically works the same way, doesn't it?"

Chris nodded absently, realization downing on him. "Theoretically it should work. Give me the spell", he spoke, hastily grabbing the sheet of paper his brother was handing him and jumping to his feet.

"From time and space I vanquish thee,

Burn in Hell for all eternity"

Chris chanted the spell three times, channeling Wyatt's power and successfully making the demon burst into agonizing flames, the creature's screams probably echoing through the entire Underworld.

Pressing silence settled in as the adrenalin began to diminish, leaving both brothers panting, but relieved. Chris sank to the floor and closed his eyes while leaning his head on the rock against which he rested his head.

"You did good", M.J. praised, eyeing the younger one with keen eyes.

"How'd you manage to rope me into this again?" Chris asked, opening one eye to look at his friend while fighting back a chuckle.

M.J. laughed and rubbed his forehead where he managed to hit the wall when they had first arrived in the Underworld, courtesy of a not so well placed low level demon.

"I think it's time we got out of here", Chris stated and grabbed the man's wrist, instantly orbing them out of the cave and into their back room at P3.

The Witchlighter immediately slumped on the couch and sighed exhausted while contently closing his eyes in an attempt to block out the light which shone through the dirty window. M.J. dropped beside him and massaged his forehead, annoyed by no end by the throbbing pain which made itself known now that the adrenalin rush had finally ceased.

"Next time, I get to pick the demon", Chris suddenly stated, eyes still closed.

"No way. You may have a death wish but I'm not keen on going after the Source", M.J. vehemently protested in a joking manner.

Chris snorted and chose to look at his friend, opening only one green orb in order to do so. "We've had eggs and bacon for breakfast, an upper level demon for lunch… What's for dinner?" he inquired with a pinch of sarcasm thrown in his voice.

"I'll settle for the bed while you'll probably attack the Book of Shadows", M.J. instantly replied with a hint of amusement.

Christopher's expression darkened and he stood up glancing at the ceiling, his bow furrowed in something close to both annoyance and anger. M.J. frowned as he watched his brother and opened his mouth to say something only to be beaten at it by the younger man.

"The sisters are calling me", he announced.

"Well orb!" M.J. urged getting up himself.

Chris grabbed his wrist and orbed them in the manor's kitchen where Paige was currently brewing a potion which smelled worse than Wyatt's diapers.

"Ugh! What are you doing?" Chris choked out while covering his nose with the sleeve of his shirt.

Paige shot him an annoyed glance before throwing in some mandrake root, causing the potion to explode, the kitchen instantly being enveloped by grey smoke and causing the three witches' eyes to water.

"What, in God's name, is that?" M.J. asked, waving a hand in front of his face as he did so.

"It's a vanquishing potion for some really nasty demons that attacked today", Paige explained through coughs.

M.J. snorted and proceeded waving his hand in a futile attempt to dispose of the now irritating fog.

"Mist and smell of a potion gone '_boom_'

Hear my words and leave this room

Disappear from time and space

Never return to this very place"

Chris chanted and the whole mess disappeared in a flurry of golden lights. Both Paige and M.J. arched their eyebrows at Chris who shot them an annoyed look in return. "What?" he asked, visibly irritated by their reaction.

"You call that a spell?" Paige inquired trying to suppress her laughter.

"Well, it's loads better than, I quote, '_The bitter winter, gives way to flowers of spring_. _Ludlow is vanquished'", _Christopher snapped back.

Paige turned a furious shade of red and glared at the young Whitelighter which seemed satisfied with himself. The blush turned even redder as M.J.'s laughter filled the kitchen.

"Oh, alright already! It was my _first_ spell, get over it!" Paige finally burst seeing as an entire minute had passed and the conjurer's laughter still hadn't subsided.

"Paige, did you make the potion?" Phoebe asked suddenly entering the kitchen, her chipper personality showing off.

"Yeah. We'll have to wait until it cools down a bit", Paige mumbled.

"Chris, M.J., hi, how are you?" the middle Charmed One asked after finally noticing her Whitelighter and his companion by the sink, her wisdom teeth showing in all their glory.

Chris let out a deep, frustrated sigh and rubbed his temples. "Alright, Phoebe, spill. What are you hiding now? What did you do?" he asked in a tired voice that surprised even himself.

"Me? I didn't do anything. Why would you think I did anything?" she asked in a cheerier tone.

Both Paige and Chris sighed simultaneously and regarded the woman with expressions of annoyance written all over their faces.

"Need I get Leo here? He can usually get you to spill within ten minutes, give or take", Chris threatened.

"Okay, okay. I got you to take Wyatt. You know… Pretty much the manipulating thing you've practiced so hard on us for the past five months...'

Chris's expression remained unreadable at the statement but M.J. could see his jaw slightly tightening. "You wouldn't have listened on your own free will, now would've you?" he retort, eyes blazing dangerously with emerald fire.

Phoebe and Paige looked at the young man but said nothing at the comment. Leo chose to orb in that very moment and immediately eyed the residents of the kitchen suspiciously, his gaze lingering mostly on M.J.

'_Seems like dad's found somebody else to obsess over'_, Chris thought as he noticed his father's look.

"What's going on?" the Elder asked.

"Come to think of it… That's what I'd like to know", Chris added, confusion settling in seeing as he was called without any visible reason.

"We were attacked today by a few demons", Paige began.

"Guns for hire", Phoebe added, making all three men turn their gaze sharply at her.

A look of disbelief crossed their faces. "What?" M.J. finally exploded.

"But who'd have enough power as to hire assassins to get to you?" Chris asked, his forehead creased in confusion.

"That's what we'd like to find out. You both came from the future; do you know of any demon which might have tried to get a free ticket to the Source's throne around this period?" Paige inquired, finally making Chris realize why they were both there.

Both men fell in silence for a few moments. M.J. finally shook his head and looked up to meet Phoebe's chocolate-brown eyes, yet Christopher remained deep in thought.

"Chris…?" Leo asked tentatively.

"There is something", the witch spoke slowly, still concentrating to remember what his mind kept away from him. "But it's all just a blur. I can't make out anything from my memories", he added, closing his eyes as he did so.

There was silence in the room as Chris tried his best to recall, yet failed miserably in doing so. Suddenly he felt a sharp pain in his head which forced him to grip his hair and cry out in pain, falling to his knees while trying to block it away. He heard a couple of muffled voices call out his name before everything around turned dark and he blacked out falling in his father's outstretched arms.

**TBC…**

* * *

Oh.My.Gosh!! I received 22 reviews for my last chapter. Thank you all so much ! You have no idea how happy you've made me!! 


	7. Mixed feelings

**Not my first FanFiction, but certainly the first of 'Charmed'. I'm going to give my best shot at this and I must warn you that English is not my mother tongue so mistakes will be made.**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Charmed. At least that's what the therapist says…

**Summary: **Season six. Chris has a tough time dealing with his family's distrust, with his memories and with the constant threat against his brother. But what happens when a stranger from the future comes along? And what are his real intentions? Set after 'Chris-Crossed' and 'Prince Charmed'.

**Note:** And again…Oh.My.Gosh!! I received 20 reviews again!!! Thank you all so much! You have no idea how happy you've made me!!

**Sorry!** I had to repost this chapter. I added a little something at the end.

**Warning:** I won't update unless I receive at least **10** reviews.

* * *

**Secrets revealed **

**By Amantine**

* * *

_Last time…_

_There was silence in the room as Chris tried his best to recall, yet failed miserably in doing so. Suddenly he felt a sharp pain in his head which forced him to grip his hair and cry out in pain, falling to his knees while trying to block it away. He heard a couple of muffled voices call out his name before everything around turned dark and he blacked out falling in his father's outstretched arms._

* * *

**Chapter 7**_: Mixed feelings_

"Chris!" both M.J. and Leo called just before the young Whitelighter's eyes rolled to the back of his head, his body going limp as he fell forward.

The elder caught him just before he hit the ground and laid him gently on the floor, extending his arms over the unconscious form and allowing the familiar healing golden glow wash over the young man.

"What's wrong with him, why isn't he waking up?" M.J. asked after a couple of minutes, trying to keep the panic away from his voice seeing as Chris didn't stir.

Traitor or not, Chris was still the brother he cared for most part of his life.

"I don't know. He won't heal…" Leo answered frowning. "Chris!" he called out tentatively while gently slapping the Witchlighter's face in an attempt to wake him up.

"Leo, put him on the couch", Paige spoke for the first time after her Whitelighter had blacked out, slight concern marking her words.

Even if Chris was a lying, manipulating, neurotic, sarcastic workaholic who'd crack up any therapist, she still hated the thought of him being hurt in any way. It was either the fact that she and her sisters had grown used to having him around, or the fact that Piper had finally learned to trust him somewhat after taking Wyatt's defense in M.J.'s arrival to the past, that she felt the need to help him out.

Leo nodded in agreement and carefully picked his future son up, frowning when he noticed how lighter he seemed from the last time he had carried him towards the couch when Bianca stripped him of his powers. Gently laying him on the couch and brushing away a few strands of dark hair the Elder noted with another frown how the Witchlighter's temperature had suddenly spiked.

"Phoebe, please go fill a bowl with some cold water and add a cloth to it", the man instructed, keeping his cool.

"What's wrong with him?" M.J. asked without bothering to keep the concern out of his voice anymore.

His brother was sick damnit! He needed to know what had caused it and he definitely needed to temporarily get rid of that annoying little voice in the back of his head which couldn't seem to be able to shut up and kept telling him that he was too weak to be a leader… that he shouldn't care. '_For the love of… I came back here to find out why he turned his back on me, not to take back a corpse!_' he angrily told himself in an attempt to shush the voice.

"I don't know what's wrong. It may be something magical or it may be something of the more human nature. You never know with hybrids", Leo, the everlasting voice of reason, explained while Phoebe came rushing back in with the bowl and cloth.

Sighing disappointedly at the received answer, Maurice took the items from Phoebe and knelt by the couch. "You'd better resume working on those demons", he said, waving a dismissive hand at the two Charmed Ones.

The women nodded and walked out of the room and towards the kitchen in order to get the potion they were brewing before Chris had so graciously collapsed on their floor. Leo watched them while M.J. rinsed the cloth in the icy water, wringed it and carefully brushed the younger man's forehead with it.

"Can I ask you a question, M.J.?" Leo asked after a few minutes, slightly absent as his mind was still drifting far off.

The conjurer nodded. "Fire away".

"Does Chris know Wyatt in the future? I mean personally", the Elder inquired, finally diverting his gaze upon the unconscious witch.

M.J. didn't reply for about a moment, seeming to be lost in his own thoughts or, perhaps, a memory. "More than you'll ever know him", he finally spoke in a soft voice.

Leo frowned at the statement. He had a nagging feeling that there was more behind those words than Maurice led on. How could Chris know his son more than his own parents did?

"Were they friends?" he pressed, curiosity getting the better of him.

M.J. frowned. "More or less", he decided to answer and as Leo opened his mouth to persuade the matter, he cut him off before he could even utter a sound. "I can't tell you more than that, Leo. Future Consequences and all that jazz".

The Elder let out a sound which seemed to be a mixture between a snort and a laugh, causing MJ to turn a curious gaze upon him. "What?" he asked, slightly frowning.

"Nothing. It's just that Chris used this mantra one too many times by now. It's starting to drive me nuts! Just don't mention it around Piper unless you don't want your internals to hit the walls in little bits".

M.J. winced at his father's words. "Bad mental image", he complained and Leo chuckled while moving closer to the pair.

The older man took Chris's left hand in his own and gently pressed over his wrist, counting the beats of the Witchlighter's heart. He had a strong, steady rhythm, Leo noted with relief. "He'll come around soon enough", he announced when he met M.J.'s questioning gaze.

Maurice smiled and touched Chris's forehead trying to feel his temperature, but Christopher turned away from the contact. He tried again only to get the same response. He frowned. Why did Chris turn away from him now and not when he was sleeping on Piper's bar? What made that incident so much different?

But then something inside M.J.'s brain clicked. Chris could easily wake up and pick up a fight if threatened in any way. The kid had some sort of sixth sense when it came to people around him. He almost always knew what one's intentions were towards him, but never around others. It was a trait he had picked up after his mother's death, but it wasn't mastered. Unlike Phoebe's empathy, this… abnormality wasn't something constant. It came and went as it pleased.

"Let me try", Leo spoke gently, snapping M.J. out of his revelation.

The Elder leaned forward and touched one of Chris's flushed cheeks. The hybrid leaned into the touch, surprising both Leo and M.J. who frowned, feeling hurt at the fact that his brother had rejected over his father.

'_He doesn't recognize you'_, he reasoned with himself. '_You're blocking him off, remember? And he's always craved for Leo's attention, even though you were perfectly capable of filling in_. _Besides, he only recognizes his family from here in the past. That includes only little Wyatt as his brother unless you reveal yourself to him_. And_ this is the only actual time he's ever gonna let Leo touch him without getting snapped at, or worse, get popped one in the face'_, he continued with a slight smile playing on his lips.

Feeling more at ease after he was presented with all the details, M.J. focused on the more pressing matters. "Who do you think sent those demons?".

Leo didn't look up at him as he shook his head. "It could be anyone. Any upper level demon who wants the Charmed Ones dead in order to claim the Source's place", he answered as he resumed washing Chris's forehead with the cloth.

"But he can't become the Source. The Grimoire disappeared years ago. He can't be crowned without the book, can he?" the witch contradicted.

Leo frowned as he thought about this. There was something to it… But what? Just as the wheels in his head started turning a slight moan and movement under his hand caught his attention.

Chris was stirring and his both father and son could see his eyes moving under his eyelids in an obvious attempt of waking up. "Dad?" he asked in a broken voice.

"No", the Elder softly spoke, shaking his head even though Christopher couldn't see him. "It's Leo".

"Leo?" Chris muttered, his voice hoarse, slightly opening his eyes and sought his father's eyes.

Chris was confused. His father was standing right there beside him and still claimed that he wasn't related to him? How come? He opened his mouth to ask but, realizing what his brother wanted to do, M.J. beat him to it.

"You okay?" he asked, successfully gaining the younger male's attention.

Realization filled Christopher's features for a moment, but it was gone as soon as it came. "Just peachy", he answered, his words dripping with sarcasm. He winced and clasped a hand over his forehead. "God, my head is killing me!" he complained.

"What does it feel like?" the Elder instantly asked, going in full doctor-mode.

"Jackhammer".

M.J. rolled his eyes at his brother's antics while Leo sighed, extending his hand over the boy's head and allowing the golden glow to make an appearance once more. He watched as the Whitelighter's face relaxed before retrieving his arm. "How's that?" he asked.

"Better. Thanks", the witch spoke trying to seem friendly.

He really_, really_ hated apologizing to Leo. But the man did ease his pain. That was worth something and Chris was raised too well to let his feelings get the better of him.

"Don't mention it. What happened back there? You just blacked out after…"

"I don't know", Chris interrupted sharply.

M.J. frowned and studied the younger one with keen eyes. "Was it a demon?" he asked bluntly.

Christopher's eyes darted towards the 25 year old, a frown of his own creasing his forehead. "I thought I just told you that I didn't know", he snapped, eyes blazing.

"Exactly. You did say it, but the way you did it clearly shows that you know something. So spill", M.J. countered in a cold demeanor, shooting Chris a reproachful look.

Christopher narrowed his eyes suspiciously and M.J. found himself shifting uncomfortably under his piercing gaze. It was surprising how both boys had that effect on one another. At least when they were on good terms.

Chris opened his mouth to answer but decided against it as he heard a loud crash from the attic and a couple of screams. Without giving it a second thought, Chris orbed into the attic and came across a destroyed room.

There was a large black mark on the floor and the three Charmed Ones were busy picking themselves off the floor. They didn't seem to be in bad shape. A few bruises and scratches, but nothing more. The Halliwell breathed out a sigh of relief, while five demons were scattered around, their attention immediately drawn to the young Witchlighter.

Christopher felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise and crouched just before an athame sliced the air where his back was only moments ago.

"Holy snap!" he yelped as another blow was delivered towards him, the witch successfully dodging it as well.

Another demon came to help his pall, making the situation worse for Christopher. The sound of jingling orbs alerted the Whitelighter of Leo and, most probably, M.J.'s appearance. The sound of orbs was however replaced by a loud crash and the sound of breaking glass, followed by two audible moans.

Chris didn't have time to check on the pair, seeing as one of the creatures launched another attack at him with a blade. Gracefully dancing his way around the athame and feeling particularly annoyed, he stuck out his hands, sending a hard telekinetic blow to the two creatures, effectively sending them flying into their comrades and successfully relieving Piper and Paige of their opponents.

"Thanks you!" Paige cheered, earning a chuckle from the Whitelighter and a pointed look from her sister.

Chris spotted an athame on the floor and lazily waved his hand at it, impaling the blade in a demon's heart, causing it to scream out in agony and burst into flames on its way to the Demonic Wasteland.

Satisfied with the result, Christopher scanned the room with stormy green eyes to see how the rest were fairing. His mother was currently watching as the demon she had fought blew up into oblivion… Phoebe was kicking the demon's ass, so there was no need to worry about her either… Paige was vanquishing her own opponent with a potion… That only left...

A piercing howl made Chris turn around on his heels and come face to face with a deceasing demon who was dangerously close to him. After the flames died down, the witch's eyes met M.J.'s cold coal ones, the older one standing there before him with an unreadable expression on his face, athame in hand.

Chris nodded his head, acknowledging his companion's gesture and turned around in time to see the last demon begin to shimmer out. The young Witchlighter waved his hand and the creature was sent into the potions table. The young man held out his hand and kept the demon in place with his power, his eyes sending daggers.

"Crystals! Circle!" Paige commanded, the five stones orbing around the creature, bars of electricity marking the appearance of a new cage.

"Not bad", Phoebe praised. "Noting the fact that you barely just woke up", she added when Chris arched an eye brow at her.

"Right. Back to the more pressing matters", Piper spoke, eyeing the demon from head to with annoyance written all over her face.

"Good point", Paige agreed walking towards the scattered potions on the floor and picking a few unbroken vials up.

"Who sent you?" Chris finally asked in a cold, harsh tone which seemed so close to that of a pissed-off demon that it startled the Charmed Ones and the Elder.

The demon merely sneered and allowed himself to burst into flames. The Charmed Ones, the Elder and the time-travelers each took a step back, shock written all over their faces.

"How'd he do that?" Piper asked pointing at the now empty cage while slightly freaking out.

Nobody answered. Nobody knew.

The woman turned a hard, accusatory look at her Whitelighter. The voice and demeanor in which he had spoken to the demon was enough to throw half the trust out the window. "You!" she growled. "What was _that_ all about?"

Chris frowned and slipped his emotionless mask back on in order to deal with his mother's fiery temper. "What was _what_ all about?" he asked in a low voice.

Piper pursed her lips together. "You know damn well, Chris! The way you spoke to the demon. What are you? Some sort of Source from the future?"

"What?" both Chris and M.J. inquired, disbelief marking their features.

"What are you trying to manipulate us into now, Chris? Huh? Tell me, cos I'm really eager to find out…", she pressed

The Witchlighter's eyes hardened as he listened to his mother's accusations. It hurt. God it hurt so much… Chris felt like every defensive wall he had ever built around him started to crumble at this new blow and he felt like he could drown in the pain. It was too much… Way too much for him to handle.

"Chris, I've kicked you out before, I'll do it again unless you tell me what's your brilliant plan now", Piper threatened.

She knew that she was being unfair, but she was under too much pressure at the moment to care that she was venting at the wrong person. And she knew that Chris had nowhere to go and nobody to turn to if she went through with her warning.

"You did _what_?" M.J. interrupted, his voice dangerously close to a yell, feeling like a ton of bricks had fallen on him.

The conjurer's only thoughts were on the fact that Chris was taking blow after blow and after learning that Piper had already kicked him out once, he finally understood why his brother was so guarded when it came to family matters.

"I kicked him out after an Order kidnapped my son and turned him evil…" Piper snapped, as if the explication she had given justified her actions.

"Oh, so what? You decided to throw out your other son?" M.J hollered back, widely gesturing with one arm towards where Christopher remained stunned, like a deer caught in the spotlight.

**TBC…**


	8. The pain of revealed secrets

**Not my first FanFiction, but certainly the first of 'Charmed'. I'm going to give my best shot at this and I must warn you that English is not my mother tongue so mistakes will be made.**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Charmed. At least that's what the therapist says…

**Summary: **Season six. Chris has a tough time dealing with his family's distrust, with his memories and with the constant threat against his brother. But what happens when a stranger from the future comes along? And what are his real intentions? Set after 'Chris-Crossed' and 'Prince Charmed'.

**Note:** Thank you all so much for your reviews! You have no idea how happy you've made me!!

**Warning:** I won't update unless I receive at least **10** reviews.

* * *

**Secrets revealed **

**By Amantine**

_Last time…_

_The conjurer's only thoughts were on the fact that Chris was taking blow after blow and after learning that Piper had already kicked him out once, he finally understood why his brother was so guarded when it came to family matters._

"_I kicked him out after an Order kidnapped my son and turned him evil…" Piper snapped, as if the explication she had given justified her actions._

"_Oh, so what? You decided to throw out your other son?" M.J hollered back, widely gesturing with one arm towards where Christopher remained stunned, like a deer caught in the spotlight. _

* * *

**Chapter 8**_: The pain of revealed secrets_

Awkward silence filled the entire attic after M.J.'s outburst. Chris was stunned… Frozen in place. His mind literally stopped functioning the moment Maurice had spoken, or rather yelled the forbidden words: 'your other son'.

The Charmed Ones and Leo were unnervingly silent as their minds tried to process the information received. It was impossible! Another son? Piper and Leo were divorced for Pete's sake, how on Earth could they have another son, and nephew for that matter?

"What?" Paige finally asked, a hint of disbelief marking her voice.

M.J. gulped and turned his gaze on Chris, his face clearly showing that he hadn't meant to let that slip.

Okay, so maybe he _did_, but he only wanted what was best for Chris, and all this running away was something that didn't do his brother any good. He just didn't want to drop the nuclear bombshell this way and most definitely not when Christopher was unable to take anymore emotional blasts.

"You're lying", Leo finally spoke in a harsh voice, his eyes colder than ice itself, his body stiff and his fists tight as if preparing for a fight.

That was enough to set M.J. on a verbal rampage. "Just because you're too blind to see the truth, Leo, that doesn't make me a liar. If you'd just get past those fucking blocks you raised around that puny mind of yours then maybe you'd see the truth because clearly you've missed it for the past six _months_!" he yelled, furious that the man still had the nerve to speak like that even though he had missed out on most of their lives.

"Hey!" Phoebe interrupted, massaging her temples as she did so, clearly overwhelmed by all the emotions the occupants of the room were experiencing at the moment, emotions that broke through the blocking potion that most of them had ingested.

Her interruption, however, hit deaf ears seeing as Paige took a step forward, her eyes throwing daggers. "You have no right to talk to us like that", she snapped at the conjurer, her voice indignant.

M.J. rigidly stood tall and crossed his arms on his chest, dangerously narrowing his eyes at the witch. "Don't I?" he asked in a provocative demeanor, almost as if daring her to say something to contradict him further.

"You're lying. There's no possible way I could have another son", Piper determinedly argued.

M.J. snorted and shook his head. "I can't believe you're so thick! Look at him, Piper. I mean _really_ look at him and tell me what you see", he dared her.

Despite her better judgment, Piper turned a piercing gaze on Christopher, who was still too shocked to react in any possible way. She looked closely at the young man, searching for the Halliwell features she chose to ignore for the past six months.

Everything from the hair color to the facial lineaments seemed so familiar that Piper felt her heart skip a beat. The woman glanced from Leo to Chris as if watching a tennis match. The young witch had the Elder's bright emerald eyes and his height, heck even the way he sometimes moved or acted was similar to that of the Charmed Ones' former Whitelighter.

Piper's mouth and throat went dry as she proceeded inspecting the 22 year olds' behavior over the past months. He had the Halliwell stubbornness and her mercurial temper when it came to family matters down to the tiniest detail. He had Paige's sarcasm and he had Prue's flare and determination when it came to vanquishing demons. He had Leo's calm and selflessness and he had one of Melinda Warren's powers: telekinesis. Everything in him practically screamed 'Halliwell' from the rooftops. Not to mention he was a hybrid. How many other witches married their Whitelighters? The answer was simple: _none_.

The more she analyzed the situation, the more Piper felt like the world was crashing all around her. It all made sense. Pieces of a puzzle finally began to connect in Piper's head. It all made sense now. Why he knew the house, the Book, them. It made sense to be the one sent from the future to complete this mission. He was intent on saving Wyatt…

'_His_ brother', Piper realized, feeling as if somebody had just dropped a bucket of ice in the pit of her stomach. Her eyes began to water as the sudden implications of this revealed secret brought. _'I kicked him out! I kicked him out of his own home and told him that I never wanted to see him again! What kind of mother am I?_' she inwardly battered herself.

"By the look on your face I take it you finally see it", M.J.'s satisfied voice broke through the woman's thoughts.

Piper ignored him and took a couple of tentative steps towards Chris who had managed to snap out of his stupor and allowed panic to begin settling in. "You're my son?" she asked in a hushed voice, hoping against hope that he'd deny, because if he admitted, it would mean Piper had despised her own son at one point, and she couldn't bare the thought that she had hurt her own child in such a manner.

Christopher's eyes darted around the room, avoiding everyone's curios gaze, obviously trying to find a way out of this mess. The occupants of the room noted how the young man's breathing began to increase as his distress grew in intensity. Piper began to worry and so did M.J.. Chris was usually very in control of his emotions and aside from anger and frustration, never let them show. The fact that now he looked so vulnerable made his older sibling wonder if he could handle the now larger amount of stress.

"Chris?" Piper shakily called out, placing a hand on his arm only to have the witch flinch and hastily, yet gently, brush it away, carefully avoiding her gaze.

Piper felt her heart sink at the gesture which confirmed both her question and her fears. '_He hates me_', she thought, the sickening feeling in the pit of her stomach growing at an alarming rate.

"Chris…" she tried again, this time without the physical contact.

"Don't", he cut her of in a low, almost pleading voice, taking another step backwards and hitting the wall where the triquerta was once drawn in the future.

M.J. took a cautious step towards the Witchlighter already anticipating his next move. Chris was freaking out and that usually resulted in the need to escape, which in turn resulted in a flurry of turquoise orbs enveloping the hybrid.

"Don't you dare orb out of here, Chris" he spoke in a warning tone, his movements suggesting that he'd have no qualms as to grabbing Chris's orbs in case of an escape attempt.

"Watch me", the Whitelighter sneered, his eyes blazing with betrayal, before orbing out of the attic faster than anyone ever thought possible.

M.J. had stumbled forward, his outstretched hand missing the blue orbs by an inch. "Damnit!" he cursed, seeing as he just let his younger brother literally slip through his fingers in a very emotional state.

M.J. turned to look at the Halliwells who were currently in a state of deep shock. Choosing to sort things out with them later, the witch conjured a vial containing a white misty potion and threw it on the floor at his feet. White smoke formed around him, the man no longer there the moment the fog dissipated.

Yet nobody seemed to notice that he was gone. The bombshell that was dropped on them was of the atomic variety. The news that their neurotic, bitchy, overly sarcastic Whitelighter was in fact family had hit them harder than anything they'd felt since Prue's demise.

Paige was standing in the middle of the attic, staring at the spot where Chris had been moments before, her slightly calmer demeanor and her curved lips showing that she was already coming to terms with the news and that she was actually happy to have another nephew.

Phoebe, who was sitting on the dilapidated sofa with her head resting on her arms, was taking everything in slightly harder. She was having a hard time recovering from the emotions she had picked up from the occupants of the room. Gradually, she felt her family's anger, then shock and finally their guilt, but what set her off balance the most was what she'd read from Christopher. Glimpses of loneliness, desperation, dedication, unconditional love, but most of all unbearable pain, anger and betrayal were still lingering within her mind, plaguing it with more guilt that her entire family could ever feel, because now she knew how the boy felt around them.

Leo was leaning against the pedestal staring blankly at the Book of Shadows. Chris was his second son. His _son_. And he had been distrustful of him. Leo felt his stomach turn to a knot and let out a groan. He had hit him. He had hit his own son. How will he ever get over that? For goodness' sake, he had thrown him across the room and threatened to recycle his soul!

Drawing in a shaky breath, he looked up and scanned the room for Piper. She was sitting on the floor, covering her face in her hands, tears visible on her jawbone. Her body was shaking slightly as silent sobs escaped her lips. Walking awkwardly towards his ex-wife, Leo dropped onto the ground beside her and wrapped his arms around her form, tears welling up in his own jade eyes.

"What have we done? Leo, how can he forgive us after all that's happened?" she asked, her voice chocked by tears.

Not knowing what to answer, Leo just held Piper closer in a vain attempt to comfort her. The woman shook more violently and her cries filled the attic as the entire household stood there, unable to find words to bring any comfort to the desperate mother.

Truth be told, there was nothing either of them could do or say in order to change the events of the past. They could only hope that Chris could find room in his heart to forgive them.

* * *

Chris orbed to the only place he felt some sort of comfort in times of need besides the bridge. He found himself in the middle of an opening in a forest somewhere in Great Britain. A medium-sized lake spread somewhere in his left, the clear water reflecting the silver moon above and giving the site an eerie atmosphere which, unlike other occasions, did not hold the power to calm the young hybrid. This was one of the places Chris used to feel more at home when upset after a fight with either Piper or Leo –whenever he cared to drop by and actually acknowledge his second born- and Wyatt brought him here.

'_This is your special spot, Chris. I warded it so dad or anyone else can find you here. It's safe for you and it's beautiful'_, Wyatt had told him the first time he had orbed them both here. Chris was half his actual age at the time…

_**///flashback///**_

_An eleven year old Christopher Halliwell was sitting on his bed facing the wall, curled up in a tight ball with his face buried in the pillow and shaking while muffled sobs left his covered lips. In his hand a crumpled letter was squeezed with all the force the child could gather at the moment, a letter of apology that marked yet another day daddy had missed one of his special events…_

_There was a soft knock on the door. The boy didn't answer. He already knew who it was. His brother most likely had noticed him missing at lunch and decided to check up on him. At least Wyatt had the decency to knock, even though they shared the room. _

"_Chris…?" Wyatt asked, pushing the door open as he did so, concern evident in his voice and on his face. His eyes fell on the sobbing form and his blue orbs sadden. "Oh, Chris…" the older boy sighed and entered the room, closing the door behind him._

_He slowly walked over to the bed and sat by his little brother, resting a hand on the younger child's shoulder. "Talk to me, Chris", he pleaded. "What's wrong?"._

_Chris just shook his head and a louder sob was heard. Wyatt closed his eyes and clenched his fists, silently letting out a few curses under his breath, curses he knew he'd be grounded for if Piper ever heard him, even more so as they were directed at their father. He took in a deep breath and carefully lifted Chris from his position on the bed and removed the pillow from his grasp with gentle moves. Seeing as he lost the comfort of the cushion, Chris wrapped his arms around Wyatt who immediately returned the gesture, holding the younger boy close to his chest and slowly rocking him back and forth while caressing his dark hair._

"_Please don't cry, Chris", Wyatt pleaded again. _

"_I _hate_ him!" Chris cried out between violent sobs, his body shaking uncontrollably with a combination of rage, betrayal and sadness. "I hate him and I never want to see him ever again!"_

_Wyatt only held him tighter as he felt his own tears pricking at the corners of his eyes. "You don't mean it", he tried to reason with the distressed child. "We both know that that's a lie…"_

"_No!" the younger boy interrupted, vehemently shaking his head to emphasize his point. _"I. Hate. Him."

"_No, Chris. You love him and that's why it hurts so much… It hurts that you can't hate him. It hurts that you want his attention and it hurts so bad you say foolish things", Wyatt softly spoke, knowing that he was right and trying to make Chris understand that he was not alone._

_The young Witchlighter only let out another hiccupped sob and buried his face deeper in his brother's shirt. They both stood like that for a good ten minutes until Chris' tears had somewhat subsided. Sighing deeply, Wyatt pulled away from the embrace and forced the hybrid to look at him, trying his best to ignore the ache he felt when he saw more tears in those red-rimmed emerald eyes. He wiped the tear-stained cheeks with his right hand and offered a gentle, comforting smile._

"_C'mon… I want to show you something…" Wyatt said in a low voice, walking towards the wardrobe and pulling out one of Chris's favorite jackets. _

_As he turned around his smile grew wider when he met Chris's now curious gaze. He stood once more beside him and wrapped the jacket around the frail form before orbing them both out, rematerializing a few seconds later in the middle of a beautiful forest whose trees were covered in golden reddish leaves which were slowly blown onto the surface of the lake by a gentle breeze._

_Chris pulled away and took a step closer to the water, furiously wiping the tears from his eyes in order to get a clearer view of the scenery. "What is this place?" he asked, bewilderment marking his words as he turned to look at his brother once more._

_Wyatt merely offered a candid smile, noting how Chris's demeanor had improved within a few minutes. "You like it?"_

"_It's amazing!" Christopher exclaimed, once more surveying the view. _

'_This is your special spot, Chris. I warded it so dad or anyone else can find you here. It's safe for you and it's beautiful…'_

**_///end flashback////_**

Since then the place seemed to have a therapeutic effect on the young Witchlighter. After every third degree with anybody -either parent, brother, demon or school bully- he'd seek comfort and piece of mind in this place. Yet tonight the setting lacked its consoling impact…

'_Oh God, they know! They_ know! _Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God…'_ were the thoughts plaguing his mind as he paced back and forth on the shore, ignoring the biting cold.

He began hyperventilating as his anxiety began to increase at an alarming rate, the surface of the water rippling as if hundreds of little fish were dancing just beneath the surface, rippling caused by the witch's haywire telekinesis.

'_I messed up! How could I fucking mess up like this?_' he mentally battered himself while trying to get a grip and struggling to catch his breath.

"Chris…?" a low, almost shy voice ringed in his ears, effectively interrupting his hectic thoughts.

The Whitelighter turned on his heels and came face to face with a very worried M.J.. Chris took in his appearance with a scowl, his anger threatening to overcome him, despite the somewhat regretful look on the older male's features. M.J.'s shoulders were slumped and his head was slightly bowed in a humble way. Feeling his temper snap, Chris flung his hand, sending the conjurer flying into the nearest tree.

Maurice winced as he hit the ground with an audible _thud_. _'I deserved that'_, he told himself as he awkwardly got up on all fours, feeling his head spin because of the unexpected impact and fought to keep his temper at a somewhat normal level.

"Why'd you tell them?" Chris lashed out, his voice shaking from all the anger that kept surfacing, his eyes burning with emerald rage.

"It's not like I did it on purpose. Not the first part anyway. It's just that they kept pressing my buttons and I snapped", M.J. spoke in a pleading voice, trying to calm his brother down. "Chris, sooner or later they would have found out. It was bound to happen…"

But Chris cut him off in mid-sentence. "Bullshit, M.J.!" he yelled, the surface of the water rippling more evident than before with the amount of force the young man was unintentionally directing at it. "They didn't need to know _anything!_" he continued at a lower volume, practically spitting the last word out.

"Why the hell not?" Maurice asked in a slightly petulant tone, knowing full well that he was in for another telekinetic blow from the half-breed.

And boy was he in for it…

Christopher snapped again and waved his hand towards the loch in an almost imperceptible way from his brother's view. M.J. felt himself being lifted from the ground and thrown in the opposite direction. Before his mind even had time to register what exactly was happening, he felt himself drop into the icy-cold water of the lake.

Chris watched, with a visible frown from the lakeside as the witch resurfaced and spit the water he had inevitably gotten in his mouth. Now that the anger had finally been somewhat unleashed on the unsuspecting victim, the Whitelighter started to feel… numb, as if all the bottled up emotions that had kept him going for the past months were rapidly dissipating and leaving behind sheer pain and emptiness.

"Feel better?" M.J. inquired from the middle of the lake where he was letting himself float on his back, a smirk plastered on his face and not even bothering to swim back to shore, guessing he'd probably end up right back in the lake anyway.

Chris let out a frustrated groan and gestured again towards the conjurer which was forcefully pushed back under the water again. Not expecting to dive in again this soon, M.J. took in a large gulp of liquid which he spat out for the second time that night.

"Could you stop being such a spoiled brat?" M.J. asked, annoyance written all over his face as he watched Chris pacing impatiently on the ground. "You knew you were merely delaying the inevitable. They would have found out sooner or later. What would've you done then? Enlighten me, oh Neurotic One! Admit it! You need them as much as they need you. Why didn't you tell them who you were from the beginning is beyond me, but I can tell that you've made a huge mistake".

Chris glanced at the floating form and grunted, pacing at a faster rate now that he thought about the prospects he had –even more so seeing as M.J.'s words had hit home-.

"You know I'm right, Chris…" Maurice pressed, beginning to tire from the effort of keeping his head above water, the strain audible in his voice.

"And what was I supposed to tell them? 'Hi! I'm your unborn child from the future and I came here to stop the world from literally going to hell'? Sorry, but I don't think it would have worked too well", he snapped back.

"I swear, you're acting like a rebellious teenager! Get a grip! You have an aunt who can see into the future. Don't you think it was just a matter of time until they would have found out on their own?" M.J. barked, widely gesturing with his arms in order to emphasize his point.

Chris stopped from his pacing and closed his eyes while taking in a deep, calming breath, all the tension gone and leaving him more exhausted than he'd felt in years. He took in another deep breath and ran a shaking hand over his face trying to will away the fatigue. His eyes were soon diverted towards the silent witch that was trying to swim back to the shore now that Christopher seemed to have calmed down.

The Witchlighter disinterestedly waved two fingers at the figure and M.J. was propelled towards the lakeside by Chris's telekinesis.

"Thank you", Maurice said dryly while getting to his feet and wringing the front of his soaked shirt, watching the water pour from the dark material.

Chris just shook his head and plopped down on a nearby log, his elbows resting on his knees and his forehead resting on his hands, expecting M.J. to come and sit by him which he did eventually.

"That was fast", M.J. spoke in a friendly tone as he sat down. "I would have imagined a longer rant about my slip of the tongue…"

Chris merely snorted and looked away, his eyes sliding over the now calm surface of the lake, ignoring Maurice's persisting stare.

"You'll have to face them sooner or later", M.J. spoke in a soft voice.

"I know…" the Whitelighter admitted, his voice barely above a whisper.

**TBC…**

* * *

**I've put _a lot_ of effort in this chapter which –I believe- was the most difficult one to write yet. Please let me know what you think of it.**


	9. Escaping the demon's den

**Not my first FanFiction, but certainly the first of 'Charmed'. I'm going to give my best shot at this and I must warn you that English is not my mother tongue so mistakes will be made.**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Charmed. At least that's what the therapist says…

**Summary: **Season six. Chris has a tough time dealing with his family's distrust, with his memories and with the constant threat against his brother. But what happens when a stranger from the future comes along? And what are his real intentions? Set after 'Chris-Crossed' and 'Prince Charmed'.

**Note:** Thank you all so much for your reviews! You have no idea how happy you've made me!! I received 30 of them. Definitely a record!

**Warning:** I won't update unless I receive at least **10** reviews.

* * *

**Secrets revealed **

**By Amantine**

Last time…

_Chris just shook his head and plopped down on a nearby log, his elbows resting on his knees and his forehead resting on his hands, expecting M.J. to come and sit by him which he did eventually._

"_That was fast", M.J. spoke in a friendly tone as he sat down. "I would have imagined a longer rant about my slip of the tongue…"_

_Chris merely snorted and looked away, his eyes sliding over the now calm surface of the lake, ignoring Maurice's persisting stare._

"_You'll have to face them sooner or later", M.J. spoke in a soft voice._

"_I know…" the Whitelighter admitted, his voice barely above a whisper._

* * *

**Chapter 9:** _Escaping the demon's den_

Christopher impatiently tapped his fingers on the cave floor where he currently sat cross-legged and inwardly cursing the now very fucked-up grand design, a frown creasing his forehead as his eyes scurried the dim lit cavern he found himself into. There was nothing that could actually hint him to his whereabouts. _Nothing_. Other than a nearby magic-proof cage and its resident, Chris couldn't see anything else besides shadow and a few distant burning torches which seemed to go out at any moment.

Letting out a frustrated groan, he closed his eyes and tilted his head backwards, wincing as his aching muscles protested against the movement. _'How'd I get into this again?'_ he asked himself, a mixture of dread and annoyance crossing him.

* * *

_An hour._

'Not yet. They're not ready. I'm not ready…'

_A day._

'Too soon. Maybe later… God, help me!'

_A week._

'What if they hate me even more? No… I can't deal with that. What am I supposed to do?'

_Chris slowly lifted his gaze towards the sparkling stars above, the wind gently passing through his hair. A week. A whole damn week had passed and he had yet to face any of his relatives… Or talk to M.J. for that matter. Part of his behavior was caused by guilt. He hadn't told his family who he truly was and he felt guilty for hurting them the way he did AND he also felt guilty for throwing M.J. in the lake and taking it all on him when he could have controlled himself. The hybrid was mad at his own weakness… He was angry at his inability of keeping his emotions in check._

'Chris!' _a little peeved voice called in the back of his head, accompanied by a faint ringing._

_Chris sighed and closed eyes in a useless attempt to put the object of his thoughts on mute._

'Chris!' _the voice sounded again, a little more urgent this time, making the Witchlighter wonder if he should actually answer the call._

'Christopher Halliwell! Get your orbing ass down here. Now!'_ M.J. yelled in a dangerously warning tone._

_Now both curious and irked, Chris dematerialized in a flurry of shimmering turquoise orbs and appeared in the backroom of P3 in a matter of seconds, where he was greeted by a very pissed off Maurice. The man's black eyes settled on him and narrowed menacingly, making the younger of the two squirm uncomfortably under the piercing gaze._

"_How much longer do you think you can avoid a confrontation? Your parents and aunts have been calling for you this whole week!" M.J. yelled at the half-breed while walking towards him in a somewhat threatening demeanor, looking bent on knocking some sense in his sibling's mind. "What if there was a demon and one of them died in the attack because you wouldn't answer their calls? What if Piper or Leo would have died? I really don't think you've been conceived yet? What then? Huh, Chris?" the conjurer asked, his voice strained by rage._

_Suddenly struck by the thought of his conception, the color from Chris' cheeks drained and left behind a very panicky witch whose breathing increased at an alarming rate as his mind raced with possible consequences. _

_M.J.'s scowl deepened, suspicion taking over his features. "Chris…?" he began in a warning tone._

_The Whitelighter looked away, his mind going in overdrive while leaning against the desk on his right for support, raking a hand through the mass of dark brown hair as he did so._

"_I broke them up," he spoke in a barely audible whisper, almost as if talking to himself, but loud enough for the other witch's ears to catch his words._

_Before his mind could comprehend anything that was happening, Christopher was slammed in the wall behind him with surprising force by the other male who held a murderous gaze upon the Witchlighter._

"_You did what?" the 24 year old growled._

"_I got them divorced. Not on purpose, but… I did and…" Chris began, but was unable to finish, seeing as Maurice clenched his fist and allowed it to collide with his brother's jaw, sending him sprawling onto the floor, white rage and horror rushing through his veins. _

_His anger was directed towards the younger male's recklessness and horror, thinking at the possibility of his brother ceasing to exist. He feared the loss of their brotherly bond… He feared that he would grow up as an only child and there would be nobody there with him._

"_Pardon me?" he sneered, grabbing a very shocked Chris from the floor and slamming him back into the wall, although a little more gently this time._

_The two words struck Chris with a sickening feeling of déjà vu, his mind flashing images of a dying Bianca before his eyes, images that had been burned into his mind and haunted so many of his dreams. His eyes widened in shock and he struggled against M.J.'s grip in fear, his instincts telling him both to stay put and to flee. His emotions once more struggled against their shackles, demanding freedom to act on their own free will and Chris didn't know if he had enough control over them in order to prevent another lash-out._

_Thrown back by the sudden change of demeanor, M.J. frowned and lightly released his grip on the boy's form. "What?" he inquired, confusion marking his question._

"_Who the hell are you?" the Witchlighter asked, struggling to maintain his calm as he did so._

_M.J. calculatingly narrowed his eyes at the witch in an attempt to figure out what had triggered the new reaction, a feeling of worry sinking in. He had changed his appearance, he had hid his powers and managed to keep his temper in check most of the time. Deciding that he still had a chance, he chose to merely blink twice in confusion, his eyes never leaving Chris'. _

"_Huh?" was all that he managed to say._

"_You sound so much like him…" Chris stated, his voice shaking while eyeing the conjurer warily._

_M.J. felt his heart skip a beat, a vile feeling of uneasiness growing within him. Ignoring his suddenly dry throat, he tried to offer a casual answer to the younger male's question. "My name is M.J. Garavalia, I'm 25 years old and a Resistance against your brother's regime", he answered and immediately realized that he mucked up, seeing as Christopher's fear and wariness melted into distrust_

"_For a Resistance member, you sure have quite shallow knowledge about its purpose", he said in a low voice, his eyes seeming to bore into M.J.'s mind in search of answers._

"_That's because I was never actually told about the whole 'greater purpose'", M.J. snapped, using two fingers to mark the quotation marks for his last two words. "I just assumed that it was against your brother", he continued._

_Chris sighed and slightly banged his head against the wall behind him, annoyance written all over his face. "The Resistance was formed to fight Wyatt's _minions_. You know, those pesky little demons that kill you on the spot on the street", he explained as if talking to a hypersensitive four year old. "Getting Wyatt off the Source's throne was just a bonus. You can't hope to dethrone him otherwise. He's too powerful…"_

"_And what of the empire?" M.J. cut him off._

"_The empire would have been formed no matter what. It's the way that he rules it that counts. That's the one thing I _can_ change. The empire would have existed no matter what key event I would alter in time"_

"_How do you know that?" M.J. asked, curiosity, suspicion and something resembling relief written in his voice and in his eyes._

_Chris flashed him a dangerous gaze. "I had a little chat with the Angel of Destiny. That's how I know and…"_

"_Did the Angel of Destiny say that you are not to be born too?" M.J. snapped, once more tightening his grasp on the Witchlighter._

"_Oh give it a rest", the witch muttered._

"_Not a snowball's chance in hell", the conjurer disagreed, narrowing his eyes. "Orb to the underworld. Now!" he commanded._

_Although struck with another unnerving sense of déjà vu, Chris was stunned into submission and complied, using his powers to part their bodies into hundreds of bright orbs._

_But then the unexpected happened._

_The moment they entered the Underworld, a hard, invisible force parted the two and forced them to reform as soon as they hit the cavern walls. Chris gathered his orbs and fell onto the ground with a loud 'thud', fog misting his judgment and clouding his eyesight while he managed to get on all fours._

_The 22 year old managed to hear M.J. calling his name before feeling a sharp pain in the back of his head and the hard ground before losing consciousness. _

* * *

_His mouth was dry as he opened his eyes, the dim light in the cave allowing his sight to adjust to the darkness around with remarkable ease. Chris awkwardly got to his feet and winced, grabbing his left arm and trying to stop the heavy bleeding. Ignoring the numbing pain, Christopher looked around and saw nothing out of the ordinary. Confident enough he walked towards the torch and gave a surprised yelp the moment he was thrown backwards by a bold of electricity._

"_Chris!" somebody yelled, panic evident in their voice. _

"_Fuck!" Chris cursed and managed to sit upright, nausea hitting him hard, almost causing him to bend over and hurl. _

"_Chris, are you okay?" he heard the voice again which he now recognized as belonging to M.J._

"_Peachy", he muttered, sarcasm dripping from his words._

"_You sure? You took quite a blast…" _

"_Yes, I'm sure!" Christopher snapped, ignoring the hurt look on Maurice's face which could be easily identified in spite of the surrounding darkness. "Stop acting like mom, or Leo or Wyatt! You're neither!" feeling a sense of awkwardness at the mention of his brother's name… as if he shouldn't have mentioned him in the same sentence with 'you're not'._

* * *

M.J. inwardly cursed the situation they were in and rolled his eyes. Sure, his sibling's words had stung, but Chris was hurt and trapped and had no idea of their location. Who could actually blame him for being snippy? Sparring a glance at his brother he noted that the younger male was showing signs of impatience, tapping his fingers on the cold, stone floor. 

But M.J. was more in control. He knew perfectly well where he was. The cave he used to go to for so many times when he needed guidance in taking over the Underworld… It belonged to an upper level demon that helped him with his empire… Ezephal.

'_Great! Just great!'_ M.J. thought as he pondered on whether to reveal his powers or not. He was immune to the cage's power, but the problem was Chris. Was the kid strong enough to receive yet _another_ hard blow? No. That was just too much in too short a time. Christopher couldn't take anymore stress at the moment without long-term -if not permanent- damage.

M.J.'s musings were interrupted by a demon that was kind enough to flame in, a smug smirk playing on his lips. Chris lifted his eyes to look at the creature and his eyes settled on the glowing red mark on the creature's forehead, a frown creasing his brow.

"Such a pity", the demon began, making a disapproving sound between his teeth while circling Christopher's cage, the witch's eyes never leaving his for a minute. "You would have made such a priceless piece in my collection. The Charmed ones' Whitelighter… A priceless piece indeed", the creature continued, confusing Chris to no end with his mumbling.

"Cut to the chase already", the 22 year old snapped, his voice dripping with malice, the fires of fury and passion burning within his eyes.

The demon took no notice in the words and continued to move vulture-like around the hybrid. "Too bad I'll have to kill you before you can meddle with my plans any further", he finally muttered under his breath as if talking to himself, his voice even lower than a whisper, but caught by the witch's trained ears.

"Plans?" Chris inquired before being able to stop himself, amazed at how hoarse his voice had really sounded.

This seemed to snap the demon out of his thoughts. The creature looked up, his wicked smile widening. "To turn the child born of light towards the dark of course. Isn't that your sole purpose? To protect the eldest Charmed One's progeny?" he responded, his eyes showing that he needed a distressed reaction to satisfy his sadistic ego.

But if Chris was in any way taken aback, he sure as hell didn't show it, much to M.J.'s surprise who expected his sibling to at least go wide-eyed and probably gawk at the demon that carelessly tried to walk around the cage, the half-breed's lack of response clearly sticking in his craw. But M.J. wasn't easily fooled. He knew, even without his connection to the other Witchlighter, that there was dangerous power boiling just below the surface due to increasing anger.

"And how do you intend on turning the Twice Blessed? How do you plan on getting past the Charmed Ones and an Elder to get to a child that would immediately make you just another scorch mark on the carpet?" Chris challenged, not even trying to keep the superiority out of his voice.

The demon chuckled. "You know as well as I do that I've managed to get to the child. You wouldn't be here if I didn't, now would you?" he challenged.

Chris frowned, but bit back a snappy remark. Angering the creature served him no good. He still needed to find out of the alleged plans and he couldn't do that if he managed to get himself killed, or reduced to a gibbering mush in the process.

"So eager to know", the demon chuckled. "Too bad you won't live long enough to find out…" he continued to taunt, sending shivers down the Halliwell brother's spines.

Chris forcefully swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat. "You're actually going to kill me without a fight? Like the coward that you are? That's pretty lame for the demon who's actual goal is to get to the Twice Blessed. Afraid to face a Whitelighter in a fair battle…", Chris choked out, pushing back his fear, determined to do everything within his power to save his brother… One way or the other.

Everything happened so fast afterwards that M.J. couldn't actually say what went down. A bright light, accompanied by a loud crash, blinded him for a split second, the torches scattered around the cave walls being all lit the moment he regained his eyesight. What he saw before him made the color drain from his face and his blood literally freeze in his veins.

Across the cavern, crumpled on the floor with blood gathering around it, lay his brother's form, the boy tightly gripping his leg which was in really bad shape. The witch's jeans were ripped right above the knee and M.J. could see the bone sticking out through the skin, blood pooling around the open wound at an alarming rate.

"CHRIS!" he bellowed, rushing towards the margins of his cage, yet careful enough not to get zapped by the electric bolt.

Chris flashed him a brief look but it was enough for the older male to see the glimpse of unbearable pain hidden in the Whitelighter's eyes. M.J.'s eyes traveled towards one of his brother's hand which moved slightly, the crystal cage breaking as one of the rocks that kept it going was telekinetically moved away.

"And what's a scrawny, weak Angel like you going to achieve in a fair battle?" the demon taunted, oblivious to the now nonexistent cage that was keeping M.J. locked up. "You can't even orb out of this cave. I especially warded it for you…"

Panting slightly, Christopher looked up at the creature, defiance clearly written all over his features, a pinch of smugness thrown in, giving him the aspect of a bratty fallen angel. "You'd be so surprised", he answered, a smile tugging up his lips.

The demon frowned, suspicion creeping on his face. There was something… off about this Whitelighter. The kid was too darn cocky for a person in his predicament. Before his mind could register what was happening to him, the demon felt the full impact of a strong telekinetic blow that sent him flying into the nearest wall.

"Witch!" he snarled, sending flames towards the boy with his hand, anger arousing within.

"No!" M.J. hollered and jumped to get his sibling out of the way, noting the impact that the usage of the full extent of his powers had left Chris unconscious and vulnerable to an attack.

M.J. rounded his arms around the limp form just in time to be enveloped by circling white lights, the voices of his mother and aunts sounding somewhere in the back of his head and feeling the familiar pull of a summon while Ezephal yelled in frustration.

* * *

Piper Halliwell stood in the kitchen, a mug of now-not-so-hot chocolate within her hands. She was still wearing the clothes she had worn during the day, her red-rimmed eyes clearly showing that she had been crying. 

A loud sigh drew her attention towards the door where both her sisters and ex-husband stood, their eyes slightly downcast and their faces showing that they were each battling a tumultuous inner turmoil.

"Oh, honey", Phoebe sighed and ran to her sister's side, placing a hand on her back just as Piper broke down into sobs.

"I can't believe it!" she cried. "They're both here and Chris is avoiding me… How could I do that to him? Phoebe, how could I throw him out like that? How could I not recognize my own son? My sons?" she asked between sobs. "God, I'm such a horrible mother!"

The middle Charmed One pulled her sister into a tight embrace, knowing that no mater what she'd say, it wouldn't make her sister feel better. The situation was too out of control for comfort… It first began with M.J.'s slip-up and continued four days later with an even more surprising shock.

* * *

"_Chris!" Piper yelled towards the ceiling, hoping that, somehow, a miracle might happen and Chris would orb in. She needed to talk to him so badly… To tell him that she was sorry and that she was going to make it up to him somehow. But he never came. In four whole days, Chris hadn't spoken to any of them and neither had M.J.. Piper felt heart-broken. Did her son hate her so much that he didn't even want to see her anymore?_

"_Chris, please…" she begged, walking towards the kitchen, attempting to cook something for the whole household before they each left for their daily jobs and such._

_Pushing the door open she came to a halt, eyeing the suspicious man that carelessly stood at her table, with her infant son in his arms. Fear gripped her as she pondered what to do. She couldn't use her powers for the possibility oh hitting Wyatt in the process._

_Cautiously, she rounded the man, her heart skipping a beat when she saw his face. He had the aspect of a cold killer, his eyes hardened by a darkened soul, but there was something strange about this stranger. Although everything about him screamed 'evil' from the rooftops, there was also a quite large part of light within him, fighting tooth and nail for dominance over the clouded judgment. Piper couldn't decide what to do. It was as if this man was possessed somehow… The shoulder-length golden hair and the azure-blue eyes seemed to have the ability to give the man's face an angelic aura –granted, tainted by darkness-, but under different circumstances, his handsome features would've offered him the aspect of an archangel. _

_A black, tight shirt covered the stranger's muscular body to which the Twice Blessed toddler was holding onto, while the man bounced him up and down on his knee._

"_Who the hell are you?" Piper demanded, her eyes flashing dangerously, her motherly instincts kicking in and demanding of her to remove the child from John Doe's grasp._

_The man merely sighed in annoyance and rolled his eyes at her, turning the toddler to face his mommy and leaning over his shoulder, their eyes at the same level. They had almost the same hair and almost identical eyes, the only difference between them being the coldness residing in the older male's eyes._

_Realization dawned upon the Charmed One and she fell into the nearest chair with and audible 'thud', her voice stuck in her throat and her mind almost refusing to acknowledge the truth._

"_How?" was all she had managed to ask, tears running freely down her cheeks, staining the skin with salty tears._

_Wyatt straightened, seeing as he successfully made his point and sighed deeply, snapping his fingers and allowing himself take M.J.'s form once more. Piper raised a hand to her mouth in a desperate attempt to suppress a loud sob that wrenched from her lips, more tears flowing down her face as Wyatt changed back to his normal appearance, cocking an eyebrow at the woman._

_The 24 year old opened his mouth, attempting to speak, but was interrupted by Paige, Leo and Phoebe orbing in, potions in their hands and looking really confused at a sobbing Piper… before their eyes landed on their fully grown relative._

"_Piper, what's going on?" Leo warily asked, calculatingly eyeing the stranger with suspicion, his body tensing as his gaze fell on the his infant son._

"_Aww! What's the matter, pops? Don't you recognize your own son?" Wyatt taunted, unable to keep the bitterness from his own words._

_Leo's eyes widened as he took in the appearance of the man. "W… Wyatt?" he stuttered._

_A wide, devilish smirk spread across the Twice Blessed's face, his eyes twinkling with unspoken pleasure at the sight of his father's pain-filled and shock-stricken expression. He loved tormenting the man for all the years of neglect directed towards his younger sibling, the results offering him the satisfaction that he could hurt his father just as he had hurt them both in the past. Or was it future?_

"_But how?" Paige managed to ask _

"_I was there when mom blew Chris up", Wyatt spoke in a cold voice, enjoying the surprised expressions his aunts had._

"_M.J.?" Phoebe finally voiced, her demeanor showing that she was trying hard to deny everything._

_Wyatt's smirk widened, ignoring the loud sob that escaped his mother's lips at the mention of the regretful incident regarding a blown up Christopher._

_A few minutes of thick silence passed while each tried to comprehend what was happening on such a short notice while adult Wyatt was bouncing his younger self on his knees, purposefully ignoring the awkwardness of the whole situation._

"_Why are you here?" the youngest Charmed One asked, her voice slightly absent._

_Wyatt stopped bouncing himself and his attitude became sober, his eyes darkening. He licked his lips and thought about what he should tell them._

"_I'm here because of Chris…" he began but was rapidly cut of by his now irked aunt._

"_I mean why did you decide to reveal who you really are to us? Does Chris even know you're here? Or are you buying your time trying to kill him?" she snapped._

_Wyatt narrowed his eyes in a threatening way, a hint of increasing anger within them. "I've revealed myself to you useless witches because my brother has a rather big problem avoiding the lot. I haven't seen him in as long as you have. Needless to say, I need your help. The kid could be in trouble and we'd have no idea about it", he snarled, eyes flashing dangerously._

"_Trouble? What do you mean trouble?" Piper asked in a concerned voice, her attention fully on keeping her son safe._

_Wyatt sighed and leaned against the back of the chair, clearly not enjoying the whole conversation. "Chris is difficult to handle. He's temperamental, he's stubborn and he's got this huge martyr complex, which means he won't tell anyone anything's wrong until it's too late to do something. After you found out you were his family, he completely freaked, which means he's gone out of his way avoiding you because he's under the impression that he's disappointed you somehow. He doesn't even talk to me", the Halliwell answered. "M.J. me", he amended as an afterthought. "Which means he's not completely defenseless, but his powers will go haywire…"_

"_What are you trying to say?" Paige cut him off, a glass breaking into thousands of tiny pieces, obviously blown up by Wyatt's molecular combustion power, the annoyed expression on his face clearly showing that he'd had enough of his aunt's questioning._

_The whole household flinched, turning their gaze upon the wall near which the glass had been moments before, watching as orange juice slowly trickled along it. "I'm trying to say that, as much as Chris is an irresponsible ass, he's my brother and I need help with keeping him out of trouble. At least until he gets a grip over himself and manages to open up. If ever…" Wyatt managed to respond through gritted teeth. _

_Silence filled the room as everyone analyzed their newly acquired knowledge. "What would you have us do?" Leo finally asked in a determined demeanor, not daring to believe that his son was sitting before him, darkness wafting from him like smoke from a burning candle._

_Wyatt's gaze immediately darted towards his father, surprise flashing all over his features for a brief second. "I expect you not to give up trying to get to him. That's what he's expecting and that's exactly what he's counting on. He's probably put you on mute, so there's no getting to him just yet, but you could try summoning him within the week. I just ask that I'll be there when you do that"._

_Immediately after saying those words, Wyatt got up and placed his younger self in the high chair before dematerializing in a flurry of dark orbs, leaving behind a very shocked family._

* * *

"What am I going to do? What are _we_ going to do?" Piper asked after her sobs subsided, her voice coming out muffled by her sister's shoulder. 

"We are going to prove to both boys that Halliwells don't give up on family. We're going to summon that bratty Sourcy son of yours down here and we're calling Chris to us. Right now. We need to prove to them that there's no turning back from this point onward and that they're stuck with us", Paige's peremptory voice answered, making all the residents of the kitchen look at her.

Leo slowly nodded and stood up from the kitchen table where he'd sat himself down. "I'm willing to do it", he sternly declared.

Piper nodded and stood up, slowly walking towards the door, taking the way towards the attic, the rest of the family silently trailing behind her.

They reached their destination a couple of minutes later, anxiousness gripping them as they entered the room. Paige called for the candles and made them form a circle, while Phoebe skimmed through the Book of Shadows in search of a suitable spell which would bring Wyatt to them.

"Will the 'find a lost witch' spell work?" Phoebe asked, stopping to read an old page, her finger pointing to the writing on the tome.

"It's worth a try", Paige answered, looking over her sister's shoulder to read the spell herself, a small frown creasing her forehead.

Piper walked over from where she had lit the candles, a firm expression on her face. "Let's do it. I'm not about to let my sons down", she said while grabbing her sisters' hands in her own.

"_Power of the witches rise, _

_Course unseen across the skies. _

_Come to us who call you near, _

_Come to us and settle here_"

They chanted while Piper cut her index finger, allowing a drop of blood to fall onto a candle while her sisters continued the intonation.

"_Blood to blood, I summon thee._

_Blood to blood, return to me"_

The flame of the candles flickered and brightened as white lights began swirling around within the circle, finally leaving behind two crouched forms. One of them, the larger one, had its arms rounded around the other as if attempting to shelter it from something.

The Charmed Ones and Leo ran to their aid, recognizing their children and nephews, their gazes obviously centered on Chris's unconscious body. M.J. briefly lifted his eyes to look at them before laying his brother down, looking concerned at the injured arm and leg. He stuck out his hands over the wounds and concentrated, yet the healing golden glow didn't come.

"What's going on, why isn't anything happening?" Piper asked, unable to keep herself from flipping out.

M.J. opened his eyes, panic taking over him while his breathing increased along with the sickening feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach. He allowed a shaking hand to travel up towards Christopher's neck in search of a pulse. Time seemed to stop as M.J. felt nothing else except cold, clammy skin under his fingers. There was no constant pulse and Chris' chest had stopped moving up and down...

"He's dead", M.J. spoke, his voice hoarse and pained and his body shaking uncontrollably, his eyes unable to look away from the lifeless body.

**TBC...**

* * *

**As much as I hate to admit it, this chapter required even more effort than the last one. I hope I've managed to make it good enough. **


	10. Choosing to fight

**Not my first FanFiction, but certainly the first of 'Charmed'. I'm going to give my best shot at this and I must warn you that English is not my mother tongue so mistakes will be made.**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Charmed. At least that's what the therapist says…

**Summary: **Season six. Chris has a tough time dealing with his family's distrust, with his memories and with the constant threat against his brother. But what happens when a stranger from the future comes along? And what are his real intentions? Set after 'Chris-Crossed' and 'Prince Charmed'.

**Note:** Thank you all so much for your reviews! You have no idea how happy you've made me!!

**Warning:** I won't update unless I receive at least **10** reviews.

* * *

**Secrets revealed **

**By Amantine**

Last time…

_The flame of the candles flickered and brightened as white lights began swirling around within the circle, finally leaving behind two crouched forms. One of them, the larger one, had its arms rounded around the other as if attempting to shelter it from something. _

_The Charmed Ones and Leo ran to their aid, recognizing their children and nephews, their gazes obviously centered on Chris's unconscious body. M.J. briefly lifted his eyes to look at them before laying his brother down, looking concerned at the injured arm and leg. He stuck out his hands over the wounds and concentrated, yet the healing golden glow didn't come._

"_What's going on, why isn't anything happening?" Piper asked, unable to keep herself from flipping out._

_M.J. opened his eyes, panic taking over him while his breathing increased along with the sickening feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach. He allowed a shaking hand to travel up towards Christopher's neck in search of a pulse. Time seemed to stop as M.J. felt nothing else except cold, clammy skin under his fingers. There was no constant pulse and Chris' chest had stopped moving up and down..._

"_He's dead", M.J. spoke, his voice hoarse and pained and his body shaking uncontrollably, his eyes unable to look away from the lifeless body._

* * *

**Chapter 10**: _Choosing to fight_

Thick silence filled the room as its occupants tried to process the words. After what seemed like ages but in fact were only seconds, M.J. snapped out of his daze, his breathing increasing and his eyes darting around as if trying to find something to bring his sibling back. He couldn't even begin to comprehend the situation… All he knew was that his brother was dead, yet the implications of this aspect failed to register. God! His baby brother was _dead_! The same baby brother that he had once sworn to protect.

"No", he muttered, vision slowly blurring with unshed tears.

"Oh God!" Piper cried that very moment, covering her mouth with her hands, tears flowing freely down her face while she fell on her knees, her eyes locked upon the inert form of her youngest son.

As if in a dream, M.J. moved his hand to touch Chris's cheek. He shuddered as his fingers made contact with the cold skin and his mind began racing, going in overdrive in a mater of seconds. "No", he spoke again, a little more loudly this time.

He shook his head and, without giving it a second thought, intertwined his fingers with those of his brother, closing his eyes in concentration as he did so, a sharp, burning pain making its way throughout his entire body, making it convulse and tighten his grip on Chris' hands before his body went limp, collapsing on the wooden floorboards, white lights enveloping him before dissipating and leaving behind his true body.

"Wyatt!" Phoebe shrieked, being the first to actually understand –partly- what was happening.

She ran to the man's aid and checked for a pulse, trying to ignore the tears and the anxiety that gripped her. Finally, after searching thoroughly for a faint beat under her fingertips she found it… It was barely there… almost gone, but there.

"He… He's fai… fading", she stuttered, suddenly afraid that she might lose her other nephew as well.

The empath vaguely heard Piper sob as her older sister crawled by her boys' side placing a shivering hand over their heads. Even with the strong effects of the empath-blocking potion her sibling had ingested, Phoebe could still feel part of the unbearable pain the mother was feeling, seeing one of her sons dead and the other giving in.

"What are you standing there for, Leo? Heal him!" Paige angrily snapped, finally realizing that her ex-brother-in-law was still in the attic with them.

Leo, who up to that point had been quiet and had tried to comprehend what was happening, finally snapped out of his shock state and slowly walked towards the limp forms of his children. He knelt by Wyatt's side, knowing fully well that there'd be no chance of bringing his youngest back. He didn't have that kind of power…

His hands seemed to move on their own accord as they hovered over the eldest form, yet the warm glow didn't come. There was a little voice inside Leo's head that was screaming its lungs out at him, telling him not to heal the Twice Blessed. Going along with his instincts, the Elder moved his hand to the young man's neck, gently pressing the carotidal in search for the steady, but weak pulse.

"Leo…?" Piper began, salty tears wetting her cheeks, her red-rimmed eyes looking desperately at her ex-husband in search of an explanation. "Why aren't you healing him, Leo?" she asked, her voice choked from crying.

Although it broke his heart to see her like this, Leo wouldn't heal his oldest even if he could. "I won't do it…" he began but was abruptly cut off by the youngest Charmed One.

"What? What do you mean you won't heal him? He's your son!" she demanded, furiously wiping her wet, pale cheeks with the back of one palm.

Leo held up his hand in a vain attempt to silence her, only to be cut off by the mother of his children.

"What do you mean, Leo?" she asked in a somewhat dangerous tone, seeing as she lacked the energy to gather her anger.

"Wyatt has gone after Chris. He's trying to bring him back", the Elder calmly explained, inwardly praying that the higher powers -and Chris himself for that matter- would allow the youngest Halliwell to return to his body.

Piper and her sisters turned their gaze upon the fallen members of their family, their eyes holding reluctant hope within them while Leo moved to stay by Christopher's side, preparing himself to heal him.

* * *

M.J. opened his eyes and owlishly blinked feeling awkward in the grey attic he found himself into, attic that he recognized as belonging to the astral plane. Swallowing the lump that had formed in his throat, he looked down at his hands and frowned, noting that the glamour had left him to his true form.

Ignoring the little voice in his head that told him that he'll scare the hell out of Christopher, he turned around and felt his stomach turn to a knot.

Chris -or rather his soul- stood facing a white vortex which seemed both inviting and terrifying. Although Wyatt couldn't see his brother's face, he knew that the younger male was drawn towards the blinding light, fact which horrified the Twice Blessed. Traitor or not, the fact that Chris was his younger sibling would never change and he had never actually wanted him dead in the first place.

"Chris", he gently called out, approaching the boy.

Christopher tilted his head and peeked over his shoulder at his brother's silhouette, an exhausted expression upon his face. "Wyatt?" he asked tiredly.

Wyatt felt his throat go dry at the sound of his brother's voice. "Yeah", he managed to croak out, finally getting side by side with Chris.

The younger of the two diverted his gaze at the portal once more. "I can't escape you even in death, can I?" he absently whispered as if speaking to himself.

Wyatt's heart skipped a beat and he opened his mouth to say something, but found himself closing it, unable to find any words to address his sibling. He looked at his shoes, his mind trying to find something to say.

"I screwed up again", Chris suddenly spoke, his voice distracted, as if talking about the weather, making Wyatt look at him once more.

The older of the two lifted his hand and rested it on the other's shoulder. "You didn't screw up", he softly spoke, inwardly cursing himself for sounding so lame.

"It doesn't matter anymore, does it?" Chris said, a small chuckle leaving his lips. "There's nothing left to do…"

Suddenly feeling himself panic, Wyatt looked between the vortex and his brother. "There's still so much you can do, Chris. All you have to do is turn around and give me your hand… Come home with me", he _begged_, voice wavering with despair.

Chris remained motionless and silent, giving no sign that he had heard his brother's words. Just as Wyatt opened his mouth to speak once more, Chris responded. "I'm so tired of fighting all the time Wy… I'm tired of their distrust; I'm tired of fending you all the time. I just want it all to end", he said while taking a step towards the portal.

"No!" Wyatt cried, seizing his sibling's hand in an attempt to stop him from going any further.

Chris looked at him, a slightly confused expression upon his face while he took in the Twice Blessed's appearance, the witch's desperate eyes and begging demeanour throwing him off balance for a little longer than a millisecond.

"Please don't let go", Wyatt asked of him, his voice quivering with raging emotions. "It's not your time. I know it's not your time. Please. I… I need you to stay alive. Please…", he continued, his tone so low and pleading that Chris felt sorry for the older man.

Christopher glanced longingly at the portal and took another step towards it before stopping and squeezing his eyes shut. A solitary tear rolled down his ghastly cheek before the boy tightened his jaw and turned to grab his brother's hand, signalling him to take his soul back to his broken body.

Relieve washed though Wyatt's being as he concentrated on the task at hand, feeling himself being automatically pulled towards reality.

The sudden merge of his soul with his body made him gasp and a wave of nausea wash over him, yet he kept his stomach at bay as he struggled to keep the room from spinning around its axis for Chris's sake. He sighed in a mixture of relief and worry as he felt his sibling's hand in his own and thanked every god he knew for the sheer fact that the witch's hand was tense and moving slightly, a clear sign that his soul didn't ditch him on the way back.

Wyatt scrambled to sit up, breaking all contact with Chris and sticking his hands over the shivering, bleeding body. The warm healing glow emanated from his palms that very second and the Twice Blessed watched with satisfaction and ease as his sibling's wounds slowly closed, leaving behind white, cold skin due to blood loss.

Christopher gasped and bolted upright the moment the last wound closed itself off, courtesy of his father's aid. Before his mind could catch up with what was happening around him, Chris felt himself being pulled into a tight, air-blocking, bone-crushing embrace. While his oxygen-deprived mind still struggled to regain all its normal functions, the Witchlighter awkwardly wrapped his numb arms around the solid form that held him in the clasp.

Another pair of arms, this time more gentle and more frail, wrapped themselves around both figures, silent sobs leaving the mother's lips as she held her grown-up children, relieved to see them both living. Weakened by the near-death experiences, but alive and relatively well.

"You're fucking stupid! How could you be so stupid?" Wyatt gently chastised, breaking the hug yet still keeping his brother at arm's length, his azure eyes locking with silted emerald ones, ignoring the pointed look he received from his mother for the used language.

Chris' body suddenly tensed, the boy looking elsewhere and trying to get away from his brother and mother in the most discreet way he could, trying his best not to draw his sibling's wrath or their family's suspicion.

Hurt, but understanding why the witch reacted this way, Wyatt released his hold on him and watched with fake detachment as the younger of the two backed away, their eyes never meeting once.

Piper, though, seemed too affected by all that had happened not to allow the disappointment cover her features. It hurt her like thousands of little knives in the heart to see her youngest back away from her touch, almost as if he was afraid of something.

"Chris, baby…" she began but was silenced by a swift, determined motion of the 22 year old's arm.

"Don't… Please", he begged her, his voice quivering from the emotional turmoil that his soul held in that particular moment.

Chris wasn't the one for expressing his feelings. Since they knew him, he'd always been emotionally unavailable and to see him now, _begging_ not to be questioned in order to block the pain away made a greater impact on the Halliwells than any words ever could. This gave them a glimpse on how the whole situation was affecting the young man and it really wasn't a pretty picture.

They helplessly watched as the young Witchlighter closed his eyes and concentrated on dissipating into bright, shimmering turquoise orbs and failing miserably at it due to exhaustion.

Taking pity on his sibling, Wyatt placed a hand on his leg and dark-orbed them out of the attic and on top of the Golden Gate Bridge where he quickly conjured a jacked which he placed on Chris' shaking shoulders.

"Look at me Chris", he softly spoke, seeing as Chris tensed at the physical contact.

The younger hybrid lifted his gaze for a second, meeting Wyatt's calm blue eyes, before hastily looking away and pulling the jacket closer, as if trying to shield himself from a blow.

Wyatt merely sighed and backed away, his eyes clouding over with a combination of hurt, anger and betrayal. "Call for dad or for Aunt Paige when you're done sulking, okay? You can even call for me, although I doubt it…" he softly spoke in a somewhat joking demeanour before dematerializing into a flurry of midnight-dark orbs.

Chris didn't look up even though his brother had already left the spot on the bridge. His mind felt numb, as if it was impossible for him to understand what was going on. Zillions of thoughts passed him without making any sense, yet the idea of Wyatt being there, in the past of all places to be, stuck out more than the rest. A prominent feeling of anxiety washed over him as the involvement of his brother's presence began nagging him in the back of his head.

Possibilities for the outcome of this visit seemed to swirl around his head, unavoidably causing him a splitting headache which he chose to block out with all his mental strength.

Oh God, there was so much going on that Chris felt like he couldn't deal with anything anymore. His trip to the past, his family's distrust, Bianca's death by the hands of his sibling, his mother kicking him out, M.J., his family finding out about him, dying, and now being brought back by his older, murderous, ego-maniac brother seemed too much for the witch to bare. The load literally got so heavy that his knees buckled beneath him and he fell to the ground, his fists furiously hitting the metal beam of the bridge, unbidden tears streaming down his face and silent sobs wrenching past his lips.

Shaking uncontrollably, the 22 year old awkwardly stood up and slowly walked to lean by the metal support, gradually allowing himself to slide down into a sitting position, wrapping his arms around his knees and resting his head against them, pain coursing through his veins like Darklighter poison. There was no possible way to deal with all that was happening. Not until he relieved himself from all the bottled up emotions… Or pushing them back so deep that they won't be able to hurt him again.

* * *

"Where'd they go?" Piper asked her husband the moment her eldest child decided to take his sibling and himself out of the attic, making all members of the family worry for their safety… Or Chris' to be honest.

It wasn't that they hadn't come to a somewhat trusting attitude towards the Twice Blessed, but the fact that he was still evil and that he had… unfinished business to attend to with his brother unnerved them.

"I can't sense them. Wyatt is blocking me", Leo answered after a pregnant pause, his eyes showing concern.

Piper sobbed once more, covering her mouth with a shaky hand as she did so, more tears rolling down her face. "How did we manage to screw up so badly?" she asked nobody in particular. "How could _I_ let things get so out of hand?"

Phoebe placed a hand on her sister's shoulder and gave her a gentle, comforting squeeze. "I know I'm risking being blown to smithereens, but I'm just gonna go ahead and say it… Give it time Piper. It's going to turn out okay in the end, you'll see. There's a reason for everything…" she said, trailing off the moment both her sisters and her ex-husband-in-law shot her a pointed look.

The sound of orbs alerted them of a new presence and they all turned their gaze upon the attic door where Wyatt was carelessly leaning against the doorframe, watching them with forced indifference. The events of the day seemed to have affected him as well, probably more than the rest of the family. After all… he had induced himself into a coma in order to get his brother back from the dead. That's gotta count for something, right?

"We need to talk", he coolly spoke, an unreadable mask covering his face.

Leo nodded, same as Piper as she stood up, a look of pure determination crossing her face as she thought about her children. She was willing to do _anything_ in order to ensure their happiness and the purity of their souls. She'd be damned if she'd allow darkness to consume her eldest again! She took a couple of steps towards the door before the Elder took her hand and walked beside her. The woman shot him a curious, yet thankful look, offering him a faint smile as they continued to walk towards their oldest son who watched the exchange with calculating eyes, relieve stirring up within, realizing that his brother may just have a chance at being conceived. If not… well, then Wyatt wasn't the most powerful witch of all times for nothing.

Taking comfort in that thought, Wyatt turned around and proceeded walking towards the ground floor, aiming for the conservatory. He absent-mindedly reached into his pocket and pulled out a handkerchief which he checked to see if it was clean before stopping dead in his tracks and turning towards his mother, silently handing her the hanky. Piper looked at her son, pleasantly surprised by the small gesture. She took the offered item, muttering a 'thank you' before wiping away her tears. Wyatt merely bowed his head in acknowledgement and turned to continue his way towards the ground floor.

He entered the conservatory and plopped down on a chair, waiting for the others to do the same while he silently rubbed his temples, trying his best to relocate the emphatic link he once shared with his younger sibling. He released a throaty, annoyed groan noting just how soft he was getting when he thought of Chris as his brother and not as the Resistance leader he once was. '_Pathetic_', he scolded himself. '_Really pathetic_…'.

Once everybody was seated, Leo found the courage within him to address his oldest son. "What do you want to talk to us about, Wyatt?".

His voice sounded unnervingly firm, a clear sign that there was an inner conflict he was dealing with and which he didn't want to share with his family. There was the fact that everything in the man before him screamed 'evil', but there was always something that the 24 year old would do that made Leo question that darkness and clouded judgment. And that was giving him a headache.

Wyatt shot his father a dirty look, his eyes burning with azure fire. "Well, I was just about to ask how the weather is up there in Elderland", he sardonically replied. "What the hell do you think I want to talk to you about? My brother died and came back from the dead not half an hour ago!" he snapped, his voice reaching a very high level, making his father drop his head in shame.

Wyatt took in a deep breath and looked away, absently fumbling with Piper's keys which he'd picked up the table and allowing a heavy silence to form between them.

Leo looked at the Twice Blessed and frowned. The man seemed to have a harassed expression on his face, expression which he tried his best to hide from his family. Something had happened on the Astral Plane, Leo shortly realized and felt like someone decided to pour a bucket of ice-cold water in his stomach the moment his mind started making connections.

Suddenly feeling his throat dry, Leo opened his mouth to speak once more, almost dreading the answer. "He didn't want to come back, did he?" he asked and by the way his eldest winced, he knew he had hit the nail on the head.

Feeling as if the world crashed around him, Leo felt grateful he was sitting down at the moment because he was pretty damn sure his feet wouldn't have supported his weight once the deduced information was confirmed.

Hearing her ex-husband's words, Piper lifted her red-rimmed, poofy eyes to look at her tainted son, fearing the worst. She felt her heart sink the moment her child reluctantly nodded, his gaze fixed upon the floor. An uncontrollable shake coursed through her body and another silent sob left her lips just as she squeezed he eyes shot in a vain attempt to prevent more tears from spilling. She felt somebody's arms circle her shoulders and force her into a tight, almost comforting embrace. She recognized Paige by the sweet perfume which hung by her clothes.

"He's going to shut us all out, you know…" Wyatt spoke, his demeanour somewhat detached. "He's not able to handle the stress anymore and the fact that I'm here's going to make things much harder"

Piper brought herself to look at the man, the sight of her exhausted face making Wyatt inwardly cringe. "Why?" was all she could force herself to say.

Wyatt shrugged and eyed everybody around him with calculating eyes. "He's afraid", he nonchalantly replied, as if it was evident from the very beginning.

"Of what?" Paige asked while she drew comforting circles on her oldest sister's back.

There was a long pause in which the Twice Blessed closed his eyes and thought about the answer. Chris was afraid of getting too attached to the family because they were all absent in the future –no doubt there- but he couldn't tell them that. Firstly because he could change the future in even worse ways and secondly because, although he was the Source of the future and the oldest remaining in the family, he'd never _ever_ hear the end of it from Christopher. Even if the 22 year had a somewhat prominent apprehension towards his older sibling, secrecy was Chris' area of expertise and he'd have Wyatt's head for spilling the most unimportant information about the future.

No, definitely not worth to hear one of Chris' never-ending rants about magical calamities. If Piper's anger was something the whole magical community marvelled at, Chris could be ten time worse if given the proper reason.

"Chris is afraid of a lot of things. He just doesn't show it. What's bugging him now can't be voiced. Not by me anyway. I'll be… Diplomat enough and keep his secrets… For the time being", Wyatt managed to speak, his voice somewhat strained.

Again, there was silence. There wasn't really much to say. The sole awkwardness of Wyatt standing before them made any subject barely approachable. Aside from the problems they'd encounter with the youngest member of the family, there really wasn't much to discuss about.

"I want the both of you to move here, in the manor", Piper suddenly spoke, her voice firm as she lifted her chocolate eyes to look at her son. "It is, after all, your home too…" she continued, eyes flashing dangerously as if daring her eldest to argue with her. _'No matter what it has become in the future_', she inwardly added to herself trying to ignore the weird sensation that stirred on the inside.

Wyatt stared at her, obviously taken aback by the request. His breath hitched in his throat and he hastily looked away.

Could he do it? Could he stand the sight of his dead mother 24/7 in the same house in which he and his brother had grown up into? Could he risk digging up the buried pain and deal with her smothering him like she always did? Could he be as strong as Chris when it came to family matters?

The answer was fairly simple: he couldn't.

But the real question was: could he stand aside and watch from the sidelines as his brother faded more and more into himself because he wasn't strong enough to deal with his dead family? Again, the answer was simple: he could not. After all… Wasn't Chris the main reason he came back? Wasn't he there to find out his sibling's reasons for betraying him? Wasn't he there to convince Chris to join him once and for all? What would he accomplish if Chris retreated so much into his shell that there'd be no getting him back?

"Wyatt…?" Phoebe gently began, sensing her nephew's discomfort.

The man looked up at her with clouded blue eyes and nodded. "Okay", he muttered, barely louder than a whisper so that the Halliwells residing the room had to strain their ears to hear him.

Piper let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and smiled gently at the Witchlighter. Maybe this was the first step towards reconciliation between them and the two brothers…

Wyatt suddenly frowned and looked towards the ceiling, confusion and surprise edging on his features.

"What is it?" Leo asked him, concerned that something bad was about to happen.

"Chris", Wyatt bluntly replied, his frown deepening. "He's calling for me…" he explained before orbing out of the house, leaving behind a concerned family.

**TBC…**

* * *

**Whew! Reached 10 chapters. Now that I've accomplished this as well, I'd like to ask y'all a simple question to which I'd like a truthful answer. **

**_Has my writing progressed from the beginning of this fic? _**

**Anyway, this chapter here was a witch to write and I do hope I've managed to make it good enough. I swear I'll kill myself if I have to write emotions like these again. It's very hard. **

**Review pweeease! –puppy-dog eyes-**


	11. Family Matters

**Not my first FanFiction, but certainly the first of 'Charmed'. I'm going to give my best shot at this and I must warn you that English is not my mother tongue so mistakes will be made.**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Charmed. At least that's what the therapist says…

**Summary: **Season six. Chris has a tough time dealing with his family's distrust, with his memories and with the constant threat against his brother. But what happens when a stranger from the future comes along? And what are his real intentions? Set after 'Chris-Crossed' and 'Prince Charmed'.

**Note:** Thank you MJLS, pinkphoenix1985, Alanna99, thebillnut, Nika Dawson, Rosalene, RBDFAN, dragninja, WellxWisher, Plutobaby494, sailor cyanide, shadowhisper, petites sorcieres, LucyCelticPrincess, DemonessLeader, forestwife, charmedgrl4ever, Blackangle2011, CrazyC87, meme, CharmedOneForever, FightingDestiny, Kitty-Witty-Kate, Freakk66, neb92 for all your reviews. They've made my days.

**Warning:** I won't update unless I receive at least **10** reviews.

* * *

**Secrets revealed **

**By Amantine**

Last time…

_Piper let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and smiled gently at the Witchlighter. Maybe this was the first step towards reconciliation between them and the two brothers… _

_Wyatt suddenly frowned and looked towards the ceiling, confusion and surprise edging on his features._

"_What is it?" Leo asked him, concerned that something bad was about to happen._

"_Chris", Wyatt bluntly replied, his frown deepening. "He's calling for me…" he explained before orbing out of the house, leaving behind a concerned family. _

* * *

**Chapter 11**_: Family Matters_

Tears fell freely from stormy jade eyes as loud sobs escaped Chris's lips while he struggled to suppress his crying. The wind started to pick up, cutting through his jacket, chilling him to the bones and making him shiver. But, despite the biting wind, Christopher didn't even try to orb to a warmer place due to exhaustion, nor did he call for one of his orbing relatives to come and get him. He simply couldn't face them. His father and aunt… The way he deceived them… And Wyatt. He couldn't face them after avoiding them for so long and after that last stunt pulled in the Ghostly Plane.

He felt contradicted about that last incident. He had wanted to move on so badly that he had merely abandoned his infant brother, leaving him easy pray for all the demons of the Underworld that were on a power quest. And that scared him a little bit. The fact that he was so desperate to have a moment's peace that he'd been willing to turn his back on everything he'd worked so hard for made him ask himself if he'd have enough time to fight the urge the next time he'll be hovering over death's doorstep. If it wasn't for Wyatt…

The Whitelighter shuddered and closed his eyes, furiously wiping the tears away.

Chris then realized that he had no idea as to where his brother had popped out from. Or rather _when_ he decided to come to the past. First M.J. and now the Twice Blessed. That spell he'd used really seemed popular… '_He must have arrived while I was stuck in the Underworld with M.J._', he figured.

The boy frowned suddenly as he thought about that. Where the hell was M.J. anyway? He wasn't in the attic when he came round from his demise. Did that mean that the conjurer was stuck in the Underworld? Or was he… dead? But… Chris had died in the Underworld. How did he get in the attic in the first place anyway? Not to mention you couldn't orb into the cavern and live to tell the tale.

The more he thought about it, the more he felt his brewing headache intensify.

His mind began racing, making connections at such a speed that Chris could barely keep up with himself. M.J. was a conjurer, Wyatt could conjure… M.J. knew squat about the Resistance… and so did Wyatt. M.J. freaked out the moment he found out that there was a high possibility that Chris wouldn't be conceived. Wyatt would do the same… The more his mind associated each subtle hint, the more everything made sense. _'Pardon me?_' M.J. had said and –what do you know?- Wyatt was terribly fond of that expression in the future as well.

Chris swallowed a sudden lump that had formed in his throat and wrapped his hands around his stomach, which protested violently as the impact of the realization hit him full-force, partly because of the cold and his weakened body and mostly because of the mental effort. Having not eaten anything all day, Chris bent on one side and dry hurled for a about a minute, feeling the whole world spin around its axis as his eyes became teary from the strain.

Finally, when the nausea subsided, Chris leaned back against the metal support and forced himself to regain composure. He couldn't stay much longer on top of the Golden Gate Bridge. He was aware of at least _that_ much. His body began shaking uncontrollably, finally acknowledging that the cold was getting to him. Closing his eyes and taking in a deep, ragged breath, the witch cursed himself for what he was about to do, but somehow taking comfort in the thought that he had no other choice.

"Wyatt", he softly called out, inwardly preparing himself for a battle.

There was no answer from the older witch and Chris fidgeted, afraid that his brother might have orbed down in the Underworld on a vanquish spree. "Wyatt!" he called out a little louder and a little more urgently yet he barely finished his name before he was rewarded with the sound of jingling orbs which alerted him of his sibling's presence, making the 22 year old open his eyes in time to see the newcomer emerge from a shade of black.

The Twice Blessed Witch stood before him, a haunted look upon his face. His azure eyes warily sought Chris's, confusion clearly written within them. The younger sibling frowned. Wyatt didn't look half as… evil as he looked the moment he'd killed Bianca. Christopher didn't know if this attitude was fake or genuine and what had triggered it so suddenly. But distrust was something that had kept him alive in the future and, seeing as old habits die hard, he stuck out his hand, his palm facing Wyatt as a telekinetic hold was strongly placed upon the older Witchlighter, keeping him firm in place.

Wyatt's eyes widened in shock but he didn't struggle against the invisible restrains. He didn't want to push Chris more than necessary. That wasn't what he came back for so why waste time and energy on that anyway? He merely settled for marvelling at Christopher's display of power. Sure, Chris was strong, almost matching him, but he'd never used this amount of Wiccan abilities on him. Not even when he accidentally impaled his fiancé in that table leg. Chris had been in remarkable check of his emotions at that time… But today he seemed to lack that calm of his, seeing as the invisible weight pressed harder on his shoulders.

Wyatt winced slightly but fought to keep his composure. He was the ruler of the world for cryin' out loud and he was crumbling under a little pressure from his _baby_ brother. He didn't fight back –granted- but that didn't mean squat. He wasn't allowed to show _any_ signs of weakness.

Still, Chris took notice of the almost imperceptible cringe and loosened the hold, his eyes never leaving Wy's. The older Halliwell's lips were quirked upwards in an almost shy, puerile smile. "You called for me", he softly spoke.

Chris frowned. "Don't get your hopes too high, _my Lord_", the 22 year old mockingly retort, barely hiding the bitterness within his words at the name his brother commonly used in the future.

The smile instantly vanished from Wyatt's face, leaving behind hidden pain and regret. He knew he deserved that…

"The only reason I called for you and not anyone else is because you don't give a damn about me", Chris continued, his voice steady, any hint of the previous sobbing session almost entirely gone from his features.

The Twice Blessed's heart sank at the statement. Chris thought that he didn't love him, but he knew very well it was a lie. Only a brother's love would have allowed him to pass through the barriers of the Astral Plane in order to retrieve the younger one's soul. "I _do_ care, Chris", he responded. '_I just can't show it anymore'_, he added to himself.

Chris elegantly arched an eyebrow. "I'm sure you do, 'M.J.'", he spoke, a faint chuckle escaping his lips as he took in his brother's shocked appearance at the mention of the name. "Oh, don't think I'm that much alike the rest of the family. I put two and two together after I realized the alleged 'M.J.' didn't make it out of the cave like I did", the Witchlighter amusedly spoke, his face showing no emotion at all which, for those who knew him, was a very bad sign.

"I'm actually wondering how you managed to pull it off", Christopher continued. "Keeping your secret hidden for so long. You usually took after Phoebe in that aspect. How did you manage to keep your powers in check for so long? Two whole weeks… I think I'm actually impressed", the 22 year old sarcastically continued. "And I bet you never thought about mom, did you now? How do you think she'll react to the news that she has _two_ instant-grown sons in 2004?" he asked, mockery marking his every word.

Wyatt stared at his brother for a few seconds before answering. "She's already had four days to adjust to the idea. Just thought I'd prove to her that I can do things right for once…"

Chris snorted but bit back a snappy remark as he suddenly shivered due to another stiff gust of wind penetrated the fabric of his clothes.

"You're cold", Wyatt dryly remarked, earning glare from his younger sibling. "You're exhausted too"

"I don't need an analysis, _mother_", he snapped back.

Wyatt had to suppress a chuckle at Chris's childish attitude. "Oh, I really disagree with you here, _peanut_", he taunted, using the nickname their mother used to call the younger witch by while she was alive and well. "Four hours of sleep per night? Chips once a day? Vanquish-happy? An overactive conscience? Weight of the world and saving me etcetera, etcetera, etcetera?" the older began, dismissively waving his hand as if he was lecturing about the weather, not even realizing that Chris had released his telekinetic hold on him.

The 22 year old frowned and tilted his head to one side. "So? What's the exact point?" he inquired more to annoy the daylight out of his brother.

Wyatt's mouth hung open for a few seconds before he managed to find his voice. "Dude, wake up!" he snapped, choosing to ignore Christopher's amused snort at the word 'dude'. "You need your family…"

Chris only rolled his eyes and scowled the moment he realized what he was doing. Why he felt and acted like a teenager again around his overprotective brother was beyond him, but the anger and the pain he'd forgotten for a few minutes came back with a vengeance. This wasn't his Wyatt. This was a glimpse of the Wyatt he wanted to preserve and keep from harm's way.

"I can handle myself just fine", the youngest replied dryly, going into 'defence mode' once more.

"I can see that", Wyatt shot back, sounding so much like their mother that it actually threw both of them off balance for a moment. Wyatt was the first to recover. "Apparently so does mom, because she requested that you sleep at the manor", he spoke, his voice seeming to hint the fact that Chris'd be blown to smithereens if he decided to go against the family Matriarch's words.

"And what about you?" Christopher immediately asked, eyeing his brother suspiciously, as if expecting him to say he'd resume going back in the Underworld and take over.

Wyatt rolled his eyes and shook his head in a disapproving way. "You know, for somebody so smart, you sure are thick at times", he taunted.

Chris narrowed his eyes and the 24 year old felt a light smack over the head. He flinched in surprise and quickly raised a hand towards the spot where he'd received the blow, not understanding exactly what had happened.

"What the…?" he trailed off, looking confused at his younger sibling.

"Gee…" the Witchlighter drawled, sarcasm practically dripping from every sound. "The Twice Blessed child can't recognize a little telekinesis when it literally hits him. I'm surprised"

Wyatt looked surprised. "Channelling through your eyes? You haven't done that since you were what? Six? Seven…?"

"Five, actually", the younger one corrected. "I take it she asked you to stay at the manor as well?" he added, his expression serious.

"Yes, she did. And we'd both do good to accept. Especially you… That way you'll have 'round the clock access to the Book of Shadows, to the family kitchen… You'll have me under your ever-vigilant eye and you'll have your family around you…" Wyatt spoke trying to press the right buttons, but was cut off by Christopher's snippy voice.

"That may not bother you because you're a heartless bastard, Wyatt, but it means a great deal to me!" he burst out raising his voice, annoyance clear on his face.

The Twice Blessed witch looked at him with keen eyes, taking in the distracted appearance and the still red eyes his brother had. He felt his anger stir but tried to keep it at bay, mixing it with the fear of losing his sibling and with the small amount concern he felt for him. He shook his head. "I don't…"

"Understand?" Chris finished for him. "You never could", he added bitterly. "After all… You never had to watch them die, unable to do so much as lift a finger to help them".

Realization dawned upon the older of the two and the bubbling anger turned into something close to pity while Chris turned his attention to the buzzing city in order to hide his tears from his older sibling. Slowly releasing a breath, Wyatt cautiously walked towards the Whitelighter, careful not to alert him with any sudden moves. After all… It wouldn't be the first time Chris's temper threw him off the bridge, forcing him to crash-orb somewhere. There was no reaction from the half-breed however. Wyatt confidently knelt before him, his hands firmly placed on his own knees, intent on not lifting them from their place in fear of losing control over his telekinesis.

"Maybe you _need_ this. Maybe you need to spend time around them and make up for past mistakes… or is it future ones? How could you stay here for so long without getting your tenses all messed up?" he spoke, a hint of amusement in his last question.

"I really think I don't", Chris shot back in an annoyed tone, ignoring the last inquiry. "Just get me down from here", he added, a note of finality in his tired voice.

Wyatt sighed defeated. "Where to?" he managed to ask, his brother's cold, unemotional demeanor hinting a very long week.

"P3", the other stated simply, analyzing his sibling's expression with disinterest.

Wyatt merely sighed and offered the younger witch a hand which was absently accepted. "Don't push them away, Chris", Wyatt pleaded as a last resort. "You know she has a bigger martyr complex than you", he added, knowing that his brother knew he was talking about their mother.

Christopher frowned, a visible sign that he was acknowledging the point. Was it worth it? Making their mother suffer just because he couldn't face the facts? Couldn't get over the constant, shredding pain?

The 22 year old cursed himself and breathed out a defeated sigh. "Take me… home", he amended, the word 'home' leaving a bitter taste on his tongue.

Wyatt hid his smile as he orbed them in the manor's attic where Piper was silently flipping through the family heirloom, her face stained with tears.

The mother looked up, her hands poised to strike at the sound of black orbs, but they were immediately set down the moment she saw her children. The Charmed One's features softened as she rushed to her offspring's side, pulling the youngest one in a tight embrace. "I'm sorry", she whispered, voice full of emotion, making the boy cringe at the thought that he had caused that pain.

"S'okay", Chris tried to assure her, failing miserable at sounding convincing. The words seemed fake even to his own ears.

The coldness and pain in his voice didn't go unnoticed by the woman and by his older brother. Wyatt's eyes clouded over with a mixture of guilt and anger while Piper felt her stomach turn to a knot in front of the clear evidence that she was a failure as a mother. '_He hates me'_, were the only words swirling in her mind and God it hurt like hell. Still, she had to compose herself, for her child's sake.

"C'mon… I had Leo settle Paige's old room for the both of you to sleep in", she said in a forced-calm tone.

Chris visibly tensed and eyed his brother warily. The older Halliwell noticed his discomfort and turned to his mother, using a cold, detached voice to speak. "I don't think that's a good idea. Chris and I might kill each other if stuck in the same room for too long. I'll take the couch if that's alright with you".

Piper's eyes filled with tears. She had forgotten about the modern Cain and Abel dispute going on between her sons. "Of course it's alright", she agreed, trying her best to keep her voice from breaking. "I'll ask your father to set the couch…" she added and slowly left the attic with one last glance towards her youngest and another wary one at her oldest.

Wyatt immediately turned to his brother, his eyes reflecting the plea which he was about to make. "Don't shut them out", were the only word he said before striding out of the room, leaving Chris alone with conflicting thoughts.

The Whitelighter walked towards the dilapidated couch and slumped on it, his mind fogging with exhaustion, the events of the previous hours taking their toll on the young man with a vengeance. Still, he would not allow himself to enjoy a well needed rest. There was just too much to think about… Like why the Twice Blessed had suddenly decided to act like a brother and not like the Source he really was. Maybe vanquishing all those upper level demons made his brother's evil influence from the future diminish…

Stiffing a yawn, Chris allowed his eyes to flutter shut. _'Just for a few moments_', he told himself. But moments turned into minutes and soon an entire hour had passed and the witch's steady breath and calm expression indicated the fact that he was asleep. He didn't even stir the moment the attic door was opened with a slight 'squeak', revealing a distraught Elder.

The father approached his slumbering son and brushed away a few strands of hair from his pale, gaunt face. He looked so exhausted… Leo realized with a sigh that his appearance was caused by the difficulties his son had to endure in both the future and the past. They hadn't made life easy for him. Heck, Leo thrown him across the room and he seriously doubted his son's back was ever the same after than incident, he had threatened him with a sword in Valhalla, threatened to clip his wings, recycle his soul AND he had pushed him through a portal straight into Jurassic Park. Talk about a lousy father…

"I'm so sorry", he whispered, knowing that the boy couldn't hear him, but feeling the need to say those words.

He gently scooped his son up and orbed them both to Paige's old room where Wyatt was currently setting down a modest bag of clothes and other belongings the hybrid owned back at P3. The Twice Blessed looked up the moment he heard the jingle of orbs and he sighed the moment he saw the picture. He wordlessly walked towards Chris's bed and pulled away the covers, making room for their dad to place the sleeping witch.

"He wouldn't allow you to do that if he were awake, you know…" Wyatt suddenly spoke in a calm, low tone, strangely careful not to awake his brother.

Leo lifted his eyes to look at his oldest. "I really did screw up, didn't I?", he questioned, the fear of an affirmative answer clear in his voice.

Wyatt arched an eyebrow at the Elder. "I'll just be honest and say that yes, you did", he admitted and watched pain fill the older man's features. "But you can fix it the second time around", he added as an afterthought. "And you can set things right while he's here..."

Leo looked at him, tears in his eyes. "How?" was all he managed to ask.

"That's not my place to be yet", Wyatt retort, walking towards the door and exiting, leaving Leo to tuck the youngest in before leaving the room himself.

The Twice Blessed was leaning against the opposite wall, waiting for the Elder, knowing he'd have questions to answer.

"When Chris was unconscious a while ago, before we found out who he was, I asked you if he knew you in the future…", Leo began and waited for his eldest to nod reluctantly. "You said that he knew you more than I did. Am… Was I never there for you two in the future?" he continued after receiving confirmation.

Wyatt sighed and turned to walk away. "Pretty much", he offered as he put distance between him and his father, not turning to see fresh, bitter tears roll down the man's face.

Leo merely orbed away towards whatever cloud loomed above the manor, trying to sort out his racing thoughts.

* * *

Piper busied herself in the kitchen with making some tea. It was nearly five o'clock in the morning. There sure as hell wasn't any reason for her to go to bed anymore. Her sons, though, needed the rest. After all, one had died and the other induced himself into a comatose state in order to retrieve him. That's bound to drain them of energy. 

The woman turned around in time to see her oldest enter the kitchen, his eyes downcast and seemingly deep in thought. However, he ripped himself out of his musings, lifting his azure orbs to meet chocolate ones that stared intently at him.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked him in an attempt to diminish the empty void between the Twice Blessed and his family.

The man merely shrugged. "Chris", was the short reply as he took a seat at the table.

Piper sighed. He didn't snap. That had to count for something… She slowly walked towards him and placed a hot mug of tea in front of him, afraid that he might reject the gesture. The witch however nodded in acknowledgement and took a swig, wincing at the temperature of the offered drink. She then took a seat beside him, silence settling between them. It wasn't a tense silence though, as Piper would have expected. It was the kind of silence where each was lost in his own thoughts.

"Don't let anything he says, or rather doesn't say get to you", the man suddenly spoke, shattering the still air around them.

The Charmed One looked at him, a question between her brows.

"He's going to go out of his way avoiding all of us again. Trust me… Chris was a very angry teenager and I have a feeling that that's gonna stir beneath the surface and mix with what he's feeling now. The neurotic, sarcastic, cocky kid's gonna take the entire frustrating attitude to a whole new level", the man explained.

Piper nodded and watched as her first born took another gulp of the tea and placed the empty mug on the table. "You should go and get some sleep. You'll need it…" she firmly spoke, going into mother-mode in a matter of seconds, confident that her son will yield to her words.

Wyatt arched his eyebrows at her, a bemused smile playing his lips. "You've got to be joking…"

Piper offered a stern look and he lifted his arms in a surrender gesture before getting up and walking out of the room without so much as a goodnight.

* * *

Christopher moaned in his sleep as a long forgotten memory invaded his dreams. He could feel the desperation he'd experienced at that time and he felt how gradually everything went to hell... 

_///flashback/dream///_

_Chris's eyes fluttered open before the witch squeezed them shut, a sharp pain going through his eyes as the sudden light penetrated them. Groaning in sheer annoyance, Chris willed himself up on all fours, colourfully cursing the moving ground._

"_Ah… Sleeping Beauty has finally awoken", a cold, amused voice broke through the 15 year old's ears, alerting him of another's presence and making him flinch backwards, away from the speaker._

_Chris's head shot upwards, his emerald eyes meeting clear red ones. Now, normally, the fact that a demon stood before him would have demanded his reflexes to kick in, but the fact that everything around them was grey made Christopher's blood run cold and his heart skip a beat. That particular shade of colour practically screamed 'WRONG' loud enough to wake up the dead and it was _that_ particular fact for which Chris prayed not to happen._

_Suddenly feeling his throat dry, Chris managed to articulate a few simple words. "Where am I?" he enquired._

_The demon chuckled at his… denial. The kid was smart, the whole Underworld was aware of that, but he, just like his family before him, tended to reject the obvious. "I think you know, Christopher", he spoke, eyes sparkling with unvoiced joy._

"_How'd I get here? If I was dead, you'd be the last one to wait for me", the 15 year old snapped, awkwardly getting on his feet, clumsily stumbling backwards and landing on a park bench. _

_The demon chuckled again and walked towards the teenager, leaning forward until he was mere centimetres away from the witch's ears. "I've put you here of course", he spoke, his breath causing the boy to shudder involuntarily._

_Still, the Halliwell was unable to stop the next logical question from leaving his parted lips. "Why?"_

_The demon pulled, a wide, malefic smile quirking his lips upwards as his eyes burned with madness and satisfaction. "Your brother would and _will_ do _anything_ to get you back. He'll even allow darkness to finally consume him… And you know why?" the demon asked, his smile widening at the sight of Chris's horror-stricken expression. "Because he's mortal. And all of you mortals are stupid enough to love, and love shall be your downfall in the end", he said before shimmering out, leaving the hybrid alone in the Ghostly Plane._

_The witch fell in a darker world himself, one of fear and despair. How was he to get out of there he did not know, but he was certain he was too far away from San Francisco for his brother to feel his presence. His powers were useless too… Neutral plane usually meant no powers. That was something only Wyatt could do and the second born of the eldest Charmed One was certainly not named 'Wyatt', although Chris could give his brother a run for his money if he'd learn how to lower his inhibitions. _

_The thought and certainty that Wy would allow himself to be swayed towards the dark side in order to save the last remaining member of his family made Chris sick to the stomach. Still, a wave of determination washed over him and the witch pushed himself up, his head tilted backwards while his eyes examined the sky. _

"_Get me out of here! Leo!" he screamed towards the grey clouds that hovered over him, hoping that somehow the Elders would hear his cries and retrieve him from the Astral Plane. "LEO! Dad, it's your second, screwed-up son calling!" he continued, placing his hope in the feeble father-son bond he shared with his absentee dad._

_In vain he waited for turquoise orbs to form into Leo, a violent shake coursing through his body as realization hit him. He was all alone and nobody could get him out. His knees weakened and buckled under his weight, threatening to give in and allow the teen to fall._

_Chris forced himself to pace around, his mind working at a fast rate to find a remote solution to his problem._

"From where I'm stuck, return me home_", he began to chant, closing his eyes in concentration as his voice shakily formed words. _

"Away from the land where spirits roam

The Twice Blessed witch I wish to warn

Of dangers far beyond he's known"

_He finished and waited for a few seconds before reluctantly opening his eyes in order to find himself in the same spot and in the same realm. _

"_Fuck!" he yelled, kicking the bench in frustration, earning himself a sharp pain in the toe. "CRAP!" he cursed, jumping on one foot for a moment. _

_He then slumped on the aforementioned park bench and raked his fingers through his hair, a long ragged breath escaping his lips. The still atmosphere surrounding him seemed to press on his shoulders like a ton of bricks, the sudden feeling of loneliness beginning to annoy the daylight out of him, adding to the frustration at not being able to do a damned thing._

"_Wyatt!" he tentatively called out, not even daring to get his hopes up. "Wy…?!" he desperately tried again._

_There was no answer and Chris felt like he'd lost everything. The fight for his brother's soul had spiralled out of his control as of that moment and he knew the older Halliwell will give in to his dark side, sealing the fate of magic itself by doing so. Chris had been the anchor for his sibling's sanity and now, with him out of the way… there was just no stopping the Twice Blessed._

/_///////end flashback/dream/////////_

Chris woke up with a start and breathed a sigh of relief. It was just a memory. But every time he dreamt about it, it seemed so real… Chris closed his eyes and released a shaky breath.

"'Iss!" a little voice called beside the bed.

Chris jumped up and telekinetically switched on the lights, only to reveal an eleven-month old Wyatt standing on the floor by his bed, holding his favourite Teddy bear in his arms. The 22 year old bent down and picked up the toddler, a feeling of awkwardness kicking in full gear, especially knowing that there was an older version of the child downstairs.

"What are you doing up at this hour, hmm?" he gently asked, getting up, intent on putting the child to bed.

But the toddler orbed out of his grasp and reappeared on the trashed bed. "'Iss", he squealed again and Chris couldn't help but smile at his brother's antics.

"Okay, have it your way", he finally caved in and crawled back under the covers, Wyatt securely placed on his chest with a blanket on top and with his Teddy within reach.

Chris turned off the lights and stood there in the dark, listening to the child's even breathing, feeling strangely secure, drawing comfort from his brother's presence. With one last thought directed towards the Twice Blessed, Chris allowed sleep to consume him.

* * *

The Astral Plane. That was something Wyatt Halliwell often thought about, ever since his baby brother had ended up stuck there for about a year, time in which the Twice Blessed allowed his soul to be consumed by what he'd promised his family would never taint him: darkness. It seemed the right thing to do at the time… 

///flashback////

_Wyatt came 'round and snapped his eyes open, hastily getting to his feet as soon as he regained usage of his numb limbs, fanatically looking around the destroyed conservatory. He had no idea what happened after a demon knocked him out. All he knew was that his head hurt like hell…_

"_Chris!" he called out, finally realizing that his brother was nowhere to be seen._

_There was no answer. Wyatt closed his eyes and concentrated on their link, only to find a blank in the corner of his mind where that link used to stand. It wasn't the blank darkness he'd usually sense if his brother were unconscious. There was just nothing… As if his sibling ceased to exist. The 17 year old felt his knees weaken as he sensed for the witch. There was _nothing_ there…_

"_Book of Shadows! Candles!" he called out, outstretching his hands where the tome appeared in a swirl of white and purple orbs while the candles orbed before him in the sign of the pentagram._

_The teenager furiously looked through the book and stopped at a page, hastily running his right index over the words while the candles lit one by one due to his firestarting abilities. With a shivering voice he began chanting:_

"Powers of the witches rise,

Course unseen across the skies.

Come to me who calls you here.

Come to me and settle here.

Blood to blood, I summon thee.

Blood to blood, return to me."

_He spoke, cutting his hand in a broken glass and allowing a drop of blood to fall onto the fire of a candle._

_Nothing._

_Nothing happened. There were no bright lights and there was no Chris standing before him. That scared him half to death. If he couldn't reach the Witchlighter, it meant that he was either in another dimension or… dead._

_Personally, Wyatt preferred the first one. At least that one offered him the possibility of somehow retrieving his wayward brother. Praying for a miracle, the Twice Blessed witch closed his eyes and concentrated on the youngest member of their line once again._

_He didn't know how much time he stood there before the air rippled with magic around him, blowing out the candles, a few silent, muffled whispers accompanying the change in the atmosphere, changes that undeniably belonged to Christopher. There was no way Wyatt could mistake that usage of that magic for somebody else's and his heart began pounding harder in his chest, filled with sudden joy. But that didn't last long for Wyatt realized that the empathic link was still inactive. Yet there was something there that told him that the witch was alive and well…_

"_What the hell!?" he muttered under his breath, his brow creasing in confusion._

"_The demon that got him is never going to let him go, you know…" a lazy, bored voice sounded behind him, making the hybrid turn on his heels to meet a pair of red eyes that burned with hidden glee. _

"_Ezephal!" Wyatt gasped, jumping backwards, startled by the new appearance. "Where is he?" he then asked in a dangerous voice, grabbing the demon by the collar as he did so. _

_A smile played the demon's lips, his eyes shiny with amusement. "Nobody knows where he is. Nobody knows who took him… It's up to you to find out. You have the power…"_

"_No", Wyatt sternly replied, his azure eyes flashing dangerously._

"_Why not? It's a part of you after all… It can get your brother back for good and it can keep him safe", Ezephal continued to press._

_The Twice Blessed's jaw tightened as he looked away, missing the triumphant expression that covered the demon's features, knowing that he'd won the fight. Wyatt squeezed his eyes shut, a solitary tear running down his blood-stained cheek before he looked back at the creature, his eyes black, fire burning within them, shrill cries echoing throughout the entire manor as the spirits of the Halliwell line expressed their despair and sorrow the last moment the Child of Light gave way to darkness. _

* * *

Of course, that proved to be a mistake. Not only had he lost himself within shadow, but he'd lost Chris as well. But there was also no lying to himself. He would have chosen evil even if Chris wouldn't have disappeared. The lure was too great to just be ignored and Wyatt could always feel something inside him that shouldn't have been there. Like a dormant gene that stirred beneath the surface of his morality, rearing its head once in a while when times got tough. 

Still, since Chris had managed to escape to the past, the evil shackles that restrained him had lost some of their power, probably because of the large number of demons that influenced him in the future had… gone extinct, thanks to his brother's scourgy attitude towards the Underworld inhabitants.

* * *

Hours later, a shrill, panicked scream echoed throughout the manor, pulling everyone from their slumber in its wake. 

"Wyatt!" the voice called, the note of a clearly distressed mother sounding like a klaxon in the house's occupants ears.

A mixture of jingling orbs and pounding feet could be heard as various family members made their way towards the nursery where Piper's voice had sounded.

"You rang?" a very cranky, very sleepy Lurch-like addressing 24 year old Wyatt asked, scratching his head and barely cracking his eyes open to look at his mother.

"Piper, what's wrong?" Leo asked at the same moment as his son did, still gathering his orbs as he did so.

The man's eyes quickly scanned the room and his stomach suddenly felt like it held dozens of snakes within, seeing as their infant child was currently missing.

"Where's Wyatt?" the woman asked, fear playing in her quivering voice, alerting her future Source son of his little self's absence.

"Right here", a tired, lethargic voice answered, making all of them turn to see Chris holding a sleepy toddler that stubbornly held his fingers curled around his brother's hair.

"Oh, thank goodness!" both parents breathed as the Charmed One rushed to the pair's side, gently trying to convince the eleven-month old Twice Blessed to release his grip on the brown locks.

Surprisingly, the boy complied, being amazingly easily persuaded into letting go. "Have you been sleeping with Chris again?" the woman gently cooed, bouncing the child on her hip.

"Yeah", Chris mumbled, his gaze glued to the floor. "Weighs a ton too…" he added as an afterthought.

Leo took a step towards the Witchlighter, only to be stopped by the older version of his brother. The Elder shot Wyatt a searching look, but the younger male never diverted his eyes from Christopher's humble form, watching the exchange with interest. He sadly shook his head just as his father opened his mouth to say something, making the angel shut his yapp and look at his ex-wife and child, surprised to see the cocky, neurotic, overly-sarcastic Whitelighter reduced to an emotionless, detached, cold, almost offensive boy, whose eyes held nothing else but sheer pain, raw determination and unbearable pain, each emotion battling for dominance over the other, making it a miracle that the manor was still standing.

"Would you like something to eat, Chris?" Piper asked her youngest in a calm, almost begging voice.

"No", came the short, dry reply. "I don't need a family right now. What I need is the power of three behind me. Can you focus on that rather than your guilt and sudden 'affection' towards me?" the witch snapped, using his fingers to make quotation marks for the word 'affection', placing quite a large amount of emphasis and sarcasm on the word, finally looking up, eyes blazing with emerald fire, fuelled by anger and other raging emotions.

Piper felt her heart sink at his words and tried to open her mouth to speak to him, only to find that a firm, invisible force was keeping her from doing so. The only thing she could do was watch as the witch took in a sharp breath and looked away before disappearing from sight in a flurry of shimmering turquoise orbs. As soon as he was out of the immediate vicinity, Piper felt the pressure around her mouth loosen and she regained full control of her mouth.

"I'm sorry I had to do that…" Wyatt softly, yet firmly spoke, not really showing any sign of remorse.

"Why?" was all that the eldest Charmed One managed to ask.

Wyatt sighed. "He's too scared right now to handle the pressure. Just let him cool off by himself for a while. It'll reduce the risk of him getting worked up over nothing and destroy something within reach", he spoke, his demeanor amazingly composed.

"How do you know?" Leo dared to ask but immediately realized that he should have kept his mouth shot as his eldest son glared at him, eyes flashing dangerously.

"I think you know why", the Witchlighter sneered.

Leo had the grace to look down and blush, thanking the stars that Wyatt didn't elaborate his answer, thus avoiding getting Piper started on a never-ending rant about being a good father to her children, or worse: getting blown to bits.

Wyatt shot a last glance at his parents before orbing away onto the living room couch, burying his face in the pillows, attempting to resume sleep, although he knew fully well that he'd be staying up thinking about his brother's attitude. Minutes trickled by and the witch slowly began to hear the sounds around him as if they were very far away…

"Chris!"

Or not…

Piper was yelling her lungs out in the kitchen, annoyance and concern combined in her voice. She was NOT going to let her son have his way like he used to when he was just a simple Whitelighter. He was _her_ son, _her _responsibility and there was no way in hell she'd let him go and sulk somewhere where she didn't have access to him, knowing exactly how vanquish-happy he could sometimes get.

"You're wasting your time!" Wyatt called out, his voice slightly muffled by the pillow. "He's already put you on mute…" he added, in a slightly lower tone.

"Yes, well, sooner or later, he's going to put me off mute", Piper snapped, appearing in the doorway and looking down at the couch where she knew her oldest son was lying.

"I somehow doubt that", the Twice Blessed muttered.

The woman sighed and made her way towards the sofa, taking a seat on it, careful not to sit on her offspring. Wyatt moved around to look at her and Piper had to smile at she noted how his eyes were still a little glazed over with sleep. Sure, she knew –no, she _felt_- that he was evil on the inside, but he sure as hell didn't act the part. And that confused her a great deal, but it made it easier to relate to him… To be able to hold a conversation without the risk of things spiralling out of control like they did with Chris made her open up to the Source.

"What am I going to do with him?" she asked the 24 year old.

The Twice Blessed sighed and closed his eyes, snuggling into the covers again. "Dunno", he replied shrugging a little bit. "He's kindda difficult to approach. Especially after a demon captured him in the Astral Plane for almost an entire year. That has him a little jumpy and a little distrustful to the point of paranoia, but he's essentially the same 15 year old I remember…" the man trailed off.

"15?" Piper softly questioned, frowning in confusion.

Wyatt nodded. "That's when we got separated"

There was a pregnant pause between them as Piper processed the information received. "You love your brother", she the finally spoke, her eyes watching Wyatt's expression harden.

"If I'd loved him enough, then I sure as hell wouldn't have tried to kill him before…" he coolly replied, the matter clearly setting him on edge.

"That wasn't you", the woman immediately replied. "If it were, the Chris wouldn't be here, in the past, risking his neck in order to give you a second chance. He loves you enough to do it and I trust him enough to believe that what he fights for is worth it".

With those words spoken, Piper sat up and left the room, leaving Wyatt alone with his thoughts, just as little Wyatt orbed on the loveseat from across the table, giggling happily, obviously amused by the sound of his father's voice that exasperatedly called for him from the second floor.

**TBC...**

* * *

**Sorry to update so late. I was caught up in school work… And I still got a big fat F in French class. I think I'm cursed to learn that language. –sigh- Anyway, hope you've enjoyed the chapter and I didn't mean to offend any French people that might read this. **


	12. Caring

** I'm going to give my best shot at this and I must warn you that English is not my mother tongue so mistakes will be made.**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Charmed. At least that's what the therapist says…

**Summary: **Season six. Chris has a tough time dealing with his family's distrust, with his memories and with the constant threat against his brother. But what happens when a stranger from the future comes along? And what are his real intentions? Set after 'Chris-Crossed' and 'Prince Charmed'.

**Notes:**

**1)** Thank you to all my 60 reviewers who poked me into updating! You guys ROCK!

**2)** So it's been like… Two years since my last update. If anything's amiss, feel free to murder me in my sleep, though for all it's worth, I **am **sorry.

**3)** I dedicate this chapter to TeenageNothing, who liked my fic enough to plagiarize it play-by-play. Here's to hoping that sort of thing will never happen again. Cheers!

* * *

**Secrets Revealed**

**by Amantine**

Last Time...

_There was a pregnant pause between them as Piper processed the information received. "You love your brother", she the finally spoke, her eyes watching Wyatt's expression harden._

_"If I'd loved him enough, then I sure as hell wouldn't have tried to kill him before…" he coolly replied, the matter clearly setting him on edge._

_"That wasn't you", the woman immediately replied. "If it were, the Chris wouldn't be here, in the past, risking his neck in order to give you a second chance. He loves you enough to do it and I trust him enough to believe that what he fights for is worth it"._

_With those words spoken, Piper sat up and left the room, leaving Wyatt alone with his thoughts, just as little Wyatt orbed on the loveseat from across the table, giggling happily, obviously amused by the sound of his father's voice that exasperatedly called for him from the second floor._

_

* * *

  
_

**Chapter 12**: **Caring **

It became annoyingly clear to Wyatt that he couldn't sleep. So annoying, in fact, that he'd somehow managed to blow up a vase without really thinking it. Which, in turn, lead to him getting thrown out of the house by a very irritated Piper.

Which was also why he was now trying to track down his missing brother through San Francisco while cursing his mom's inability to be afraid of him.

"I'm the bloody Twice Blessed Lord in the future," he ranted to himself, ignoring the way people looked at him oddly as he passed by. "She should be at least a little wary of me."

"I think you're forgetting this is Piper you're talking about," Chris said conversationally, falling in step next to him.

Wyatt spared a moment to wonder where _he'd_ popped up from. Then he thought about the absurdity of not having sensed him in the first place.

He sneered. "You're getting better at the whole stealth thing. Last I remember, you were pants at it."

Chris threw his head back and laughed. It wasn't a happy sound — it was bitter and filled with self-derision. It made Wyatt feel irrationally uncomfortable. "I've been hiding from you for almost six years now, Wyatt. Give me some credit."

"If this were another time, I'd give you almost six years in the dungeons," Wyatt growled menacingly.

Chris's laughter abruptly died off, cool green eyes studying him. "You probably would," he conceded, and then added, almost as an afterthought, "But I'd probably break out somehow."

Wyatt said nothing. The urge to throttle Chris was too great and required all the self control he could muster.

They walked in strained silence for a while, until Wyatt made a sharp turn towards the nearest diner. It was a sorry-looking building, with red bricks and dirty-looking blinds but he knew he would find good food there.

"Piper actually threw you out before eating anything?" Chris snorted, sounding amused. The urge to throttle him increased. "What did you do to piss her off so badly?"

Wyatt threw him a pointed glare. "I ate," he said gruffly. The words sounded distorted, almost like he didn't want to speak them at all. "You, on the other hand, bailed."

Chris stopped abruptly. "Point being?"

"We're going to go in there and you're going to have a decent meal for once."

Honestly, Wyatt wondered if Chris suffered from some sort of grave mental affliction. He would have hoped his intentions were obvious.

"No."

Clearly not.

"Yes, Chris, before I cast something on you that would force food down your throat," he threatened in a tired voice. This was ridiculous. "And it's not personal gain. I'm technically helping," he added when Chris opened his mouth.

Chris closed his mouth with a small clink. The curve of his mouth turned down into an unhappy frown.

Wyatt forced himself to wait patiently for Chris to say something, though what Chris said next wasn't what he expected.

"Right," said Chris and went into the diner without another word.

Wyatt looked upwards and muttered _drama queen_ under his breath.

:::

"Why are you here?"

Chris's voice sounded tired and wary as he toyed with his napkin.

"Piper threatened to bind my powers if I don't behave and look out for you," Wyatt said, low enough that Chris leaned in to hear him.

Chris's eyes met his for a moment before looking away. His face looked gaunt, Wyatt noted absently, the dark circles under his eyes more prominent in the dim light. Wyatt wanted to make a comment on that, but it was then that the waitress came and placed their order on the table.

Wyatt took in the soft curves of her body with mild interest. She was nice enough, he decided and offered her a smile, fascinated by the blush that spread over her cheeks.

"Would you like anything else," she asked with a small stutter.

Wyatt opened his mouth to answer when he felt Chris's sharp kick under the table.

"That would be all, thank you," Chris said with unnecessary sharpness.

The waitress – Alice said the name on the tag – deflated and hovered for a second before walking away.

Wyatt turned sharp eyes on his brother. "Was that entirely necessary?"

"One evil overlord in the future is enough for me," Chris commented almost angrily. "I don't need a nephew to worry about as well."

Wyatt said nothing. He supposed his track record was a bit of a mess in what concerned the opposite sex.

He watched Chris as he played around with his food and started to slowly count. He snapped when he reached fifty-five.

"Are you even going to touch that?"

Chris looked at him hard. "I'm not inclined to, no."

Wyatt resisted the urge to yank at his hair. "You've got to eat something," he insisted.

Chris looked green at the prospect. "Do you even know what day it is?" He demanded harshly and there was an edge to his voice Wyatt couldn't decipher. It made him feel uneasy.

"April 14th. Your point being?" he replied automatically.

If anything, Chris looked greener.

Wyatt edged back in his end of the booth. If Chris decided he was going to throw up, he'd be damned if he willingly sat in the line of action.

But Chris didn't throw up. He just shook his head and swallowed thickly. "Mom died today," he said in a low whisper.

Comprehension dawned. It didn't change a thing, though. Mom was still dead and crying over spilled milk wouldn't revive the dead. Wyatt liked to pretend he believed that because he cared.

He didn't want to face the fact that he _didn't_. Back home, the not caring wouldn't have affected him. Now, though, faced with Chris's silent desperation, it seemed wrong somehow. Like looking himself in a broken mirror; he could see the fractions of his reflection, but not the whole.

"Just try eating a bit," he offered coolly.

Chris looked down at the plate. He looked green again, and unhappy, but he started eating without complaint.

It didn't make Wyatt feel any better.

:::

"Are you insane? You're going on a vanquish spree _now_?"

Wyatt wondered how long it was before he began blowing things up again. It still amazed him how Chris could reduce him to a pile of raging nerves in five seconds flat without even trying. He suspected it had something to do with being the youngest.

"What's wrong with now? Seems like a pretty fitting way of passing the day," Chris argued, navigating his way through the crowded street.

"No, it seems like a pretty fitting way of getting yourself killed," Wyatt snapped back. "You are not going in the Underworld when you're three seconds away from an emotional breakdown."

Chris looked at him with a sick mockery of surprise plastered over his face while his hands flew to his chest. He offered an exaggerated gasp. "You shock me, brother. You act as though you give a damn."

Wyatt thought back to the Astral Plane. Chris should have known. Then again, Chris was pretty dense, no matter how sharp he was in what concerned demons.

"Chris," he said, a warning note to his voice.

Chris waved a hand dismissively and ducked into a nearby alley. "You're one to talk," he said. "You go in the Underworld on a daily basis and you've been insane for the past six years."

Chris orbed away before Wyatt could reply. The Twice Blessed followed him, wondering how in the world could Chris be a wreck one minute, and the next and sarcastic smart-ass.

"You know, Chris —"

He didn't have a chance to finish his sentence.

Something _hard _slammed into his chest and flung him against the nearest cave wall. Wyatt heard a few bones crack on impact, and felt the sickening pain that followed afterwards. His ears rung loudly, mingling with the erratic pulsing of blood in his ears.

The ringing didn't stop him from hearing a hoarse yell echo around the cavern.

His stomach rolled violently and it hurt to breathe, but Wyatt forced himself in a sitting position and searched for Chris, trying to see past the darkness surrounding his vision.

He saw him, though, lying a few feet away, flat on his back. He didn't see any blood.

Wyatt also saw what slammed into him. It was huge and scaly and looked like an oversized lizard standing on its hind legs. It was advancing on Chris, its mouth wide, saliva dripping from its large fangs in generous amounts.

Wyatt moved his hand sharply, and the demon flew backwards. Wyatt watched, horrified, as it disintegrated into grey dust and whisked itself away with an inhuman shriek. It was unnerving. It should have put up more of a fight.

He rose to his feet, wincing at the pain and swaying a little bit, covering his chest where the beast had struck. His fingers were suddenly wet, and he looked down, watching in a sort of morbid fascination as blood poured over them.

Three long, horrible looking gashes ran diagonally down his chest, jagged and painful looking. Wyatt felt oddly detached from the dull ache that spread through his body.

He felt disconnected somehow. Like his body didn't entirely belong to him.

Wasn't there he was supposed to do?

Wyatt pressed a hand to his head and a moan filled his ears. The pain in his chest sharpened.

"Wyatt?"

Chris! Wyatt remembered with a jolt. "I'm here," he offered. It shocked him how confident his voice sounded in the pain-filled world he found himself in.

Chris moved sluggishly on his hands and knees but didn't get up.

"Wyatt?" Chris called out, and his voice sounded wrong to Wyatt's ears. Small and scared and barely holding it together.

"I'm _here_," he repeated because there was nothing else he could think of saying while stumbling towards his brother like a drunken man.

"I can't see a thing," Chris confessed and his voice still sounded like broken glass.

Wyatt stopped. Chris's words sounded impossibly loud in his ears.

Shit.

* * *

_I know this chapter is small and uneventful, but I wanted it to bridge the upcoming drama in the family. I also wanted to flesh Wyatt out a little bit. Hopefully, I managed to pull that off. If not, then it's official: I fail as a writer._

_Again, thanks for sticking with this fic after all this time! It really does mean a lot to me. _

_-Ari_


End file.
